Toby Foster is one of the owners at The Owlery, a vegetarian restaurant on The Square in downtown Bloomington. Toby doesn’t believe that what they have to offer in their cozy spot translates well to a take-out model. For him, going out to eat is about the whole experience, including the atmosphere, the service, and enjoying the food hot, and freshly prepared.

He also dislikes the disposable packaging involved in take-out, and more importantly, he's not certain that they can run a take-out operation while keeping employees and customers safe from contracting or spreading the coronavirus.

So after trying take-out for two days, when the stay-at-home order came down from the Governor, They decided to completely close.

Toby and co-owner Ryan Woods advised their staff on applying for unemployment. They also organized an online fundraiser selling totes and t-shirts with an orginal design from a former employee. Toby says they have strong (and generous) customer support. They raised around 6 thousand dollars and distributed it between their employees.

I spoke with Willow Leganza, an IU student who works at the Owlery. She said the extra cash came in handy during those weeks before the unemployment kicked in. She was worried about having to use money she had been saving for medical expenses.

But money wasn’t the only issue for her. In our conversation she talks about the challenges she has faced, and what her co-workers at the Owlery mean to her.

Since they’re completely closed, The Owlery can keep expenses pretty low, and hopefully ride this out.

Hear our conversation on this episode of Earth Eats.