Andy Schmunk, owner of Grit City Distillery, comments on the pandemic year and how his businesses adapted. (CHAT News photo)

By Alex McCuaig

'roller-coaster ride'

Local businesses adapt with the times to keep the lights on

Dec 23, 2020 | 8:54 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – It’s been a hectic year for businesses trying to navigate the pandemic, with varying restrictions affecting their operations and an ever-shifting array of public health orders.

But two local businesses have found success, though not normalcy, in adapting to the ebb and flow of restrictions over the past 10 months that have resulted in two shutdowns for sit-down dining.

Grit City Distillery had to shut down its restaurant in March but it did anything but stop operating.

Medicine Hat’s only spirit manufacturer took more than 2,000 litres of what was originally destined to be gin and vodka and turned it into hand sanitizer.

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And despite hand sanitizer being a commodity in short supply at best, Grit City provided the public with it for free.

It’s a decision owner Andy Schmunk doesn’t regret.

“We’ve definitely a journey this year,” said Schmunk. “We’ve had some ups and downs as far as the public goes. We’ve been right with everybody in terms of the roller-coaster ride but our community support has been very strong.”

Grit City kept the business going by selling takeout pizzas from the distillery’s restaurant.

But for a business like Inspire Cafe built on a model of providing a cozy place for friends to meet, eat and listen to live music, the first lockdown that restricted all of those activities.

During the early days of the pandemic, those restrictions hit the cafe hard but a move to make meat pies for curbside pick up not only kept things going but set up Inspire for the current restrictions.

Inspire’s traditional Christmas afternoon teas have now been packaged for takeout.

“I feel like this time our restaurant is shut down for dine-in that we’re much more prepared,” said Newton. “We were just trying to figure things out last time and now all of those things are in place so it feels less scary, you know, we’ll probably be ok through this, this time.”

For both businesses, the community support they received prior to kept going, something they both credit their customers for helping them through what’s expected to be the worst of the pandemic.