Not just a business, a ‘mission’: Local restaurants open despite COVID uncertainty

Although many restaurants and businesses have closed during the coronavirus pandemic, a few have forged ahead with plans to open in Middle Georgia.

New restaurants like the Kimchi Factory, Sweet of Life and Fall Line Brewing Co. had planned openings months before the COVID-19 virus spread throughout Middle Georgia, and owners have followed through on those plans to varying degrees.

The Kimchi Factory, at 440 Walnut St. in Macon, opened in July after signing the lease to the building back in September and a lot of prayer, said owner Miyant Rutherford.

“There was a really horrible time with no income. So, I was worried, but I’m still here because He helped me, gave me strength,” Rutherford said.

Fall Line Brewing Co., at 567 Plum St. in Macon, opened March 6 for around six business days before the owners decided to close their taproom and provide to-go sales due to the coronavirus outbreak, said owner Kaitlynn Kressin.

“Opening a business in the midst of a global pandemic has had its challenges. We joke that we have had the longest soft opening ever,” she said. “We are excited for the future and excited to officially have a grand opening once we get to that point.”

Although Tram Nguyen, owner of Sweet of Life in Bonaire, said the outbreak probably wasn’t the best time to open the gelato shop, her business is doing way better than she expected.

“We’re really happy for the customer support over here,” she said. “We just try to do as good as we can. Hopefully, we can run well from now until after the coronavirus.”

Her life’s mission

After Rutherford, 53, came to the United States from South Korea in 1994, she said she developed a dream to open a Korean restaurant.

“I kept this hope for a long time,” she said. “This is not just the restaurant business. This is the mission for my life.”

Once the coronavirus pandemic came to Middle Georgia, she continued to push back the restaurant’s opening.

She decided she had to open July 6, and on that first Monday, only two customers came in the door.

Tuesday brought a full house, Rutherford said. Rutherford, her daughter and her boyfriend were the only three people working, so customers had a long wait.

But, she said they were extremely patient.

“Even when they get upset, after they finish my food, ‘I forgive you because your food is so good, and definitely I’d come back,’ and I was so teary,” she said.

Rutherford had to shut down the restaurant for a few days to hire staff and prepare for the next week, but she said the next Monday they had several customers as well.

“That make me feel so, so happy. It is so exciting and unbelievable because whoever walked through here, they say the whole town is talking [about] your restaurant and your food,” she said.

The restaurant is fully operational and is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 3-9 p.m. Saturday.

The beer business

Fall Line Brewing Co. produces four mainstay beers and different seasonal beers throughout the year, and Kressin said production and distribution is going well this year.

“We’ve been in the beer business for quite some time now. We have a couple other businesses in downtown Macon including Just Tap’d and Ocmulgee Brewpub, and both of those entities remain mostly on premise sales, meaning people can come in and grab pints and sit down and enjoy a beer with their friends and do some socializing and things of that nature,” she said. “But, we decided that we wanted to distribute outside of Macon, and so we wanted to open a larger production brewery where we’re able to make the beer in larger quantities and then can it and distribute it to package stores.

“Restaurants can buy kegs for on premise draft sales and really kind of brand Macon as a craft beer hub and a neat place to come, visit and hang out for the day, and we wanted to be a part of that.”

The 6,000-square-foot brewery has a 6,000-square-foot courtyard with a 14,000 square foot event space and a taproom that serves food.

The taproom serves gourmet sandwiches with a number of sides including homemade kettle chips, mac and cheese and pasta salad, she said.

“It has definitely been a challenge dealing with COVID; a lot of making up brand new business plans on the fly and adapting and adjusting to COVID and all the rules and regulations following the CDC guidelines. Just making sure that not only our staff, but our customers are also safe and protected,” she said.

Because the brewery is a new business, Kressin said they didn’t qualify for government assistance, but she said distribution sales have been going well because people are buying more beer at grocery stores and package stores during the outbreak.

Kressin said the brewery is different from their taproom and brewpub because they serve different beers and food with a unique atmosphere.

“We’re looking forward to canning more of our products, going into more of our seasonals, continuing to distribute across the state and building our brand and encouraging foot traffic to check out all of the awesome locally owned businesses that are here, especially in the urban core.” She said. “We are looking forward to on-premise accounts, meaning more bars and restaurants opening back up following CDC guidelines and being able to serve our beer on draft.”

To satisfy a sweet tooth

Tram Nguyen said her and her husband, Tai, both had a dream of opening n a business in the United States.

Tai had a small shop in Vietnam, and when he moved to the United States four years ago, Tram said he wanted to open a restaurant here. Tram moved to the U.S. 10 years ago, and the couple has been married for three years, she said.

Their shop features Italian gelato and pastries as well as Vietnamese coffee and tea. Everything is homemade, she said.

“We really, really need the support from the local customer,” she said. “The customer is like our family. So, we just hopefully we can do [well]. … Hopefully, we can be better after the coronavirus pandemic.”

This story was originally published August 10, 2020 at 7:00 AM.