![]() ![]() on weekends, questions are arising about how to preserve the escapist restaurant experience for guests even as the industry heads into a free fall. Owning and operating a small business is stressful at the best of times, but as MeMe’s staff begins to settle into an August groove of regular service from 10 a.m. Still, he is sure that without that federal assistance, MeMe’s would have been one of the staggering one-third of New York small businesses that have already shuttered during the pandemic: “We would have closed without that PPP loan.” ![]() “That was a good day, when we got the loan, but it came with a lot of caveats,” recalls Clark. Finally, MeMe’s reopened for brunch on July 3, with the help of a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan-which Willis and Clark had to apply for twice. “We were really just throwing things at the wall and seeing what stuck,” says Clark. The next few months were a blur of different modes of operation, from delivery-only service on Caviar to a complete closure for renovations in April and a partnership with Queer Soup Night in June to offer free food to protestors. Still, MeMe’s is set apart by a deeply loyal clientele that’s been drawn to the restaurant’s festive, overtly queer energy since its opening in 2017. MeMe’s, though, is a slightly different story: They’ve been as impacted as any other local restaurant by the pandemic (and more so than some, as a relatively small space with a 35-person seating capacity). Just beyond the doors lies a carefully tended outdoor seating area that boasts six two-tops and one table for four.Īt some New York restaurants-almost all of which are attempting to put the pieces back together after the devastating blow of COVID-19 on the food industry-the morning rush doesn’t look much different from the closing time these days. Thank you!”, read the laminated, display-only menus. A young person carrying a clutch of pink flowers peeks in through the front window, then ambles reluctantly down the block a mask-clad couple repairs to the comfort of their respective iPhones as they wait it out in front of the glass doors. at Meme’s Diner in Prospect Heights, and the anticipation outside is already growing.
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