We have been busy preparing to host you again, we cannot wait to show you what we have been up to!
When we moved The Heritage Pantry from our little starter space to our current location downtown, we really weren’t sure if the people would come. It’s always scary making an investment into a business with so many unknowns.
- Would people who like our local market want to have coffee with us?
- Would our community support a specialty coffee shop?
- Could we pull off turning a neglected workshop space into a cozy community hub?
- If we add music will people come?
Then after we had been opened for awhile the questions changed to:
- How are we going to fit all of these people without losing the character?
- Can we meet the demand without losing quality?
- Is there a way to master all of the different things we offer without losing our brand identity and becoming a jack of all trades?
Now that we have been here for two years, amidst so many unknowns with the shutdowns, the question was merely, how do we move forward?
Our answer is this:
We will keep grocery deliveries forever. They are now part of our business model. We have always wanted to help organic farmers and local artisans get their products into the community and what better way to do that? When life gets back to hustle and bustle, we will all be extra tired adjusting. What better way to keep your family fed than with local organic groceries delivered to your door? We are continuing to make improvements to our online and delivery system and will soon have options for a cooler bag and ice packs if you won’t be home to receive your delivery for a while. Be on the lookout for that!
We have made improvements to our kitchen. When we opened we thought that we would offer little more than bagels and croissants, so we did not build in much of a kitchen. We have added a prep sink and other equipment in order to increase our kitchen output. Beginning this Tuesday we will start offering our bagel creations again, still to go for now, per the County and State demands. We are working on new menu items and will release them as soon as in-dining is allowed. We have a big surprise coming for our dining options as soon as we have final approvals. Trust us. Big, exciting announcement coming on this.
Now that our indoor upgrade is almost complete, we will start working on our patios. We will be upgrading seating, shade, lighting and music on both our front and back patios in order better serve you once in-dining is allowed. Due to decreases in allowable indoor dining we decided the best way to serve our community is to increase food options and give you a gorgeous outdoor space to enjoy the most Instagramable “social distancing” space in the area.
Music. Right before the shutdowns, we hired Myra Gleason of Stereo RV to be our in-house music coordinator. She came on staff in February, did an amazing job booking out our listening room through the end of the summer. And as soon as she finished that, Covid hit and she spent the next week canceling them all, then stayed on staff excelling completely out of her comfort zone to help us create a system for our online order deliveries. As soon as we are giving the “medium-risk” dine-in gathering green light, we will begin Friday night outdoor music and Open Mic Tuesdays again. She and her husband Gabe will be our opening music night performers of course. We also plan to add Saturday night indoor music evenings. Musicians have been greatly affected by the shutdowns, majority unable to receive unemployment for their lost shows. We want to offer a high class lounge where they can showcase their talent for our community to enjoy. Safe gathering numbers for our space have not been accessed yet, however, once they are we will be able to determine door fees. Tuesday Open Mic will always remain free to the public, with a drink discount for performers. Friday night outdoor music will be considered family night with very low family or individual ticket door fees. Saturday evening tickets will be based on the performing artist’s contracted charges. We are so excited to bring this level of entertainment to Downtown Dixon.
Cocktails, Mocktails, Wine and Beer. Since we have a beer and wine license, we have found a fantastic line of fermented spirits that will allow us to create some of the best cocktails we could dream of, using seasonal and fully local ingredients. We have also invested in a cool keg fridge that will showcase only local craft beer from our new bar service area in the Barn. This added service counter will eliminate wait times and gathering at the bar. We also plan to begin table service during our high volume times and may even allow for reservations in the future. BONUS. We have brought in a distilled non-alcoholic spirit called Seedlip in order to serve an elevated drink experience to our friends who abstain from alcohol as well! Wait until you see all of the swanky vintage inspired glassware we brought in for drink service!!!
Please be patient with us. Our staff did not get a quarantine break. They have actually been working harder than ever in this time of adapting. They have helped move furniture, deep clean, paint, create and implement new protocols, business model adjustments and they have been so graceful being on the serving end of the restricted public’s emotional roller coaster. We are going to roll out these new offerings as quickly as we can establish solid systems for them, but it will all be trial by fire (classic B&P style lol). Please show them grace and gratitude as they are giving it their all.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT THROUGH THESE CRAZY MONTHS. WE LOVE OUR COMMUNITY. Shop online grocery delivery by clicking here!
