Photo by Tyler Nelson
Brian Felten of Neighborhood Draft.
Neighborhood Draft opened their doors this past November and it’s been a smooth ride, until … well, you know what virus.
“Business was surprisingly good when we opened, since winter is usually the dead part of year,” says Brian Felten, owner and chef behind the Washington Heights establishment. “I was scared when I started to see the spread of coronavirus and thought I was going to have to close the doors to the place.”
Understandably, there are stresses involved in holding a business together when everything around is closing, events being canceled or postponed indefinitely and people genuinely afraid. The Draft was fortunate enough to build up a good neighborhood following. Even Mayor Tom Barrett is known to occasionally pop-in.
Neighborhood Draft recorded good numbers on Tuesday for St. Patrick’s Day, especially since it happened to be the first day operating under the state-mandated, carryout and delivery only business model.
“I knew I had to do something different to keep people coming back,” says Felten. “Family style dishes are all similarly priced, feed three to five people and they’re served in aluminum foil, because you’re gonna have leftovers.” The family-style menu changes every day but there are several small-plate staples that he’s kept on the abbreviated menu. Kobe beef sliders have been a hit, along with a roasted beet dish with pecans he calls, “Let the Beets Drop,” an homage to the Beastie Boys.
Photo by Tyler Nelson
When it comes to hard times, Felten finds comfort in the supportive community that he’s come to know. He talks about a “united front” that he sees with other chefs and service industry workers around the area patronizing his place.
“I think it’s cool that there’s no jealousy going on between restaurants right now,” says Felten. “We all just want people to come out and eat as much as possible. We all want to stay around and get through this.”
Felten is quick to thank his customers for sticking with him in these uncertain times. Bar manager Michael Ernst even noticed how generous the patrons were during their opening day of the new format. Initially, orders were only taken over the phone, but now with the help of Tabio, they have a new addition to their website which makes ordering easy.
If you do order delivery, you might even get the meal delivered by Felten himself. Next time you’re tired of eating the usual at home, remember you can still eat locally from a lot of places in town.
