During this COVID-19 pandemic, it pays for a business to be able to adapt.
That’s just what brothers Scott and Keith Cramer did. The two run TMK Enterprises, also known as Pizza Man Fundraising and UNIPAK Supply. The company has been in business over 25 years. It provides food, many items frozen, for school fundraisers. And like they always did, they ordered what they expected they’d need for this spring’s school fundraising events, including 12-inch St. Louis-style pizzas, Zap-A-Snack French bread pizzas and cheese bread, Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough, Little Caesars Cinnamon Crazy Bites, Auntie Anne’s pretzels and pretzel nuggets, and, let me not leave this off, OREO churros.
But not like always: the pandemic has closed schools since mid-March and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said April 2 that they’ll stay that way the rest of this school year.
“No schools, no fundraisers,” Scott Cramer said.
The business had to let go of most of its 30 employees, with just Scott Cramer and four others remaining: Keith, who’s co-owner; Jake Marquart, logistics and customer service; Chris Taylor, customer service; and the brothers’ sister, Deb Meisner, customer service.
They had to decide what to do with about 6,000 square feet of warehouse filled with food. They could close down completely and hold onto the food until, hopefully, fall brought the next round of school fundraisers.
Instead, they created Fort Wayne Curbside and are selling the 90-plus menu items to the public at a discounted price, since the middlemen — the schools — are out of the picture.
“Even if a little bit helps with cashflow,” Cramer said.
They started with the frozen food and then added the full inventory when customers asked for more.
Fort Wayne Curbside allows customers to order and pay online at http://fortwaynecurbside.com, then head to the warehouse at 3912 Option Pass 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays, where Cramer notes there’s no problem with parking in the now nearly empty lot. Customers call 260-497-7997 and provide their order number and name. Someone will bring out the order.
“All they have to do is pop their trunk or open the door to their back seat,” Cramer said, so social distancing it’s an issue. Someone can also put the food down and back away while the customer picks it up.
They’re adding weekend and Monday deliveries for an extra $5 for the whole order.
It’s been a morale booster for the remaining workers.
“We were getting kind of depressed,” Cramer said of hearing about the virus spreading around the world. However, every customer has been appreciative, he said. “Folks are supporting us. … I can’t even thank people enough.”
He’d spent most of the previous week on Facebook, watching as their 40-ounce cheesecake went a bit viral.
The $10 Father’s Table pre-sliced variety cheesecake comes with slices of all these flavors: New York Cream-style, Caramel Turtle, Strawberry Swirl, Raspberry, Fudge Brownie, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Cherry, Blueberry, Chocolate Marble, Vanilla Bean and Raspberry White Chocolate.
Their brother Jake has also helped, including taking part in the brothers’ “Warehouse Games: Episode 1 – Cookie in a Mug Challenge” video that they put on their Fort Wayne Curbside Facebook page. The relay race involved putting the “pucks” of frozen cookie dough into a mug, microwaving them for 55 seconds and topping them with ice cream. “It tastes just like a restaurant ($6.99) dessert,” Scott Cramer said.
“We’re not above being silly or goofy,” he said.
What’s not goofy is the way they’ve been able to change their business model and delivery system.
Lee’s Chicken Fort Wayne, Halal Eats temporarily close
Lee’s Chicken Fort Wayne said that it was temporarily closing its restaurants, but hopes to return by mid-April.
The sign on the restaurant at 404 W. State Blvd. announced April 1 that it was closed, coinciding with a Facebook post that morning from the company.
“We are going to wait and see what happens, but we are currently planning to re-open mid-April,” the post said.
“We want to thank all of our great customers who have supported us during this time by using the drive-thru and placing delivery orders.”
It had been offering drive-thru-only service since mid-March like other restaurants, bars and nightclubs that opted to stay open during Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s temporary ban on dine-in services until, as of now, April 7.
With Indiana expecting a “surge” in COVID-19 cases, a virus that attacks the lungs, some restaurateurs are expecting Holcomb to extend his orders. The date currently coincides with Holcomb’s stay-at-home requirement for non-essential workers. Holcomb’s orders are meant to limit as much contact between people as possible because of the ease that the new virus is spread, which many fear could overload state health care workers, who also could get the disease.
Halal Eats, 5755 St. Joe Road, Fort Wayne, announced March 30 that it too was closing temporarily because of the virus.
Poptique Columbia City still open
Poptique Popcorn has temporarily closed its Jefferson Pointe and downtown Fort Wayne locations. Its Columbia City location at 120 W. Walker Way, remains open by appointment and for shipping orders. Need some Birthday Cake, Turtle Supreme or Tuxedo Caramel popcorn? It has a pass-through window for pickup and is giving a 25% discount on orders with code *April20. You can see all its flavors and place orders at poptiquepopcorn.com.
Keeping heroes rolling
Jiffy Lube of Indiana is offering its “Hometown Heroes” deal to all essential workers, including health care workers and first responders. They’ll receive a 50% discount on oil change services as well as free flat tire repairs and 6-month no-interest financing on any brakes, tires, tune-ups or minor repair work.
Steve Sanner is owner and president of Jiffy Lube of Indiana, which operates 49 locations statewide, including in Fort Wayne, Kendallville, Angola and Auburn.
No Joella’s, there at least
With all the COVID-19 news, I didn’t get a chance to report that Joella’s Hot Chicken has decided not to come to Fort Wayne’s Jefferson Pointe.
A statement from its corporate office said, “Due to unforeseen construction costs, Joella’s Hot Chicken will no longer be opening its first Fort Wayne location at 1715 Apple Glen Blvd. Joella’s was excited to become part of the Fort Wayne community and will continue to search for a new site that can become the future home of Joella’s Hot Chicken in Fort Wayne.”
The Louisville-based fast casual restaurant known for its hot chicken and made-from-scratch Southern side dishes announced in July that its fourth Indiana location in Fort Wayne would be at 1715 Apple Glen Blvd.
