MISSOULA — Many restaurants across the country are currently trying to keep up with a lack in business, while also attempting to support their coworkers, and in some cases, the community as well.
The Trough restaurant is managed by Maddie and Mark Jones, who are currently trying to balance all three of those tasks in the face of the COVID-19 spread.
This week the restaurant started selling prepacked bags of groceries and are now doing premade family-style meals.
"It's nice to be able to provide for the community but in addition to that it really helps our staff," said Mark Jones. "It adds hours of employment and that's been one of the most heartbreaking things for us is to be in this situation that all of our counterparts are in as well."
While the Jones are seeing a steady flow of customers and are able to help out their employees at the moment, it's still an unpredictable situation.
"We hope that we can continue on and a lot of it just depends on how long we can continue to find the products to put things together," said Mark Jones. "It's an interesting time. A little exciting, a little scary I guess I should say because of the response of everything but we're trying to do everything we can do."
In the wake of the virus, the community has been supporting the restaurant right back.
"It's been huge in terms of community support," said Maddie Jones. "I've even had a couple of people who have called, not necessarily to buy themselves a pantry pack, but buy a pantry pack for a family in need."
To find out what other restaurants you can support in this time click here.
