Our Opinion: Support our local restaurants

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Jefferson City is fortunate to have a burgeoning restaurant scene that offers more diversity than ever before.

We have various ethnic cuisines, including not just American, but Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Thai, German and Vietnamese as well.

That's not a bad selection for a city our size. But these are trying times, and some of them might not survive without our support.

Gov. Mike Parson has shut down restaurant dining rooms in the state. It's a severe measure, to be sure, but it's absolutely needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

We suspect most pizza chains and fast-food drive-thrus will fare just fine. It's the local restaurants that are suffering. The ones at which you previously dined-in but can no longer offer that option.

They're adapting to survive, and you can help by ordering food for carry-out, delivery or drive-up service.

As we recently reported, La Chica Loca's owners cobbled together a website overnight - that lets customers order online and even see the status of their order.

They, like many others, still are struggling.

"Our sales are definitely down significantly," co-owner Amanda Jensen said. "There's just no one downtown."

Sweet Smoke BBQ's locations, at 127 E. High St. and 3530 Country Club Drive, started curbside pickup and delivery.

JQ's on High, at 911 E. High St., is offering carry-out and curbside service.

Owner Quinten Rice said he wanted to be proactive.

"We just wanted to try to do whatever we could to keep the doors open but to ultimately be safe," he said. "It's a tough middle ground, but I felt like it was the best thing to do at this time."

Rice said he is also trying to set up online ordering.

If the situation worsens, he added, JQ's on High may close temporarily. Some businesses have already done that.

The restaurants mentioned here are just a few examples; there are many more now offering different services.

You can find the status of other businesses, including restaurants, on our website at newstribune.com/news/business/story/2020/mar/19/mid-missouri-business-coronavirus-closings-announcements/821248/.

Even in good times, restaurants operate on small profit margins. Now, for some, their livelihoods are on the line. But you have to eat, so do what you can to support them.

News Tribune