Broad Ripple businesses strive to survive during extended stay-at-home order
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Businesses in Broad Ripple are making do with fewer customers, but with Marion County’s stay-at-home order being extended to May 15, many are eager to get business back to normal. Unfortunately some businesses won’t be able to make a comeback so quickly.
Brugge Brasserie, a staple in Broad Ripple for the past 15 years, is an example of a restaurant going through hard times. The owner announced Thursday that the restaurant location will be going out of business after May 1.
Many people feel it’s important to support restaurants and local restaurants now more than ever.
Curbside pickup and delivery continues at HotBox Pizza. General Manager Doug Anders told News 8 that the work environment hasn’t been the same although sales have been steady.
“With us being in Broad Ripple it’s a very heavy bar crowd, local town so usually we get hit pretty hard from like 3 a.m from the bar crowd, but that’s kind of gone right now since the bars are closed,” said Anders.
Temporary closed signs remain up at some businesses and they’re less people walking around.
“There’s not many locations open anymore,” Condado Tacos manager Brandon Birnell said. “I believe it’s just Jimmy Johns and us, Sahara and Indiana Garden now. Behind us Flatwater is open as well. There’s just not many locations open so it’s just kind of a ghost town.”
Birnell said they were hoping to reopen their dine-in service for Cinco De Mayo.
“Cinco De Mayo is right around the corner so it’s our biggest day of the year. It’s going to be really strange not being able to have guests in the building,” Birnell said.
Birnell also wished the nightclubs were open to attract more people to the restaurant.
Runners Forum, a shoe store in Broad Ripple, has been doing curbside pickup and taking online orders, but the store manager said it’s still been a challenge serving customers.
“I’s not quite the same because we do offer a service where we do help people with shoes and that’s challenging right now,” said store manager Jesse Davis. “A lot of people have been coming to the store asking what’s going on because they have questions about shoes.”
Many small businesses hope people can still show their support while the stay-at-home order continues.
“If we just pull together and help each other out as a community I think we can get through this,” said Anders.