GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC 26) -- Kavarna coffeehouse was forced to close and laidlay off all of their employees when the coronavirus outbreak halted their ability to serve.
"Can't keep paying people and you can't keep -- you know, we always have bills, we have rent and all that kind of stuff -- so really it was just a domino effect," co-owner Michael Hastreiter said. "I think it's the same for most businesses that once things started to get worse and cases started to appear here in Green Pay, people stopped going out, and rightfully so."
As Governor Evers has begun to turn the dial on public restrictions in Wisconsin, the husband and wife owners decided it was time to try capitalizing on available business.
"In the temporary time being, success means having enough to go and delivery orders that we can sustain paying our bills and hopefully bringing back some of our employees," Hastreiter said. "Ideally bringing all of our employees back, and being busy enough that that makes sense."
Unlike other restaurants, reopening a coffeehouse under Safer at Home orders present unique challenges specific to the industry.
"Coffee is difficult to make and have delivered," Kayla Viste, co-owner of the cafe said. "Where we can't make a latte, have it sit for the 10 minutes until the driver shows up, driver picks it up, drives another 15 minutes to get to you."
"It's really hard on local, especially smaller businesses, that we don't necessarily have the same technologies that some of our bigger competitors do," Hastreiter said. "We don't necessarily have the drive through windows, we don't have that kind of thing."
In order to make their delivery process more efficient in isolation, the duo even explored developing an app. Instead, they're working to debut an online order form on their website, so you can order directly through them starting next week.
