Owner of Le Crepe in Royal Oak looks for help from the community
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (FOX 2) - It's no secret most restaurant owners can agree surviving the pandemic has been anything but easy. "Le Crepe" in Royal Oak is no exception. The owner is now counting on the community to help him get by.
"I’m the butcher the baker and the candlestick maker," said Dennis Williams."Since the pandemic we’ve been hanging on and surviving."
Williams has been running his Royal Oak business Le Crepe for about five years. But like a number of businesses, the pandemic has slowed things down - way down.
"People don’t wake up and say I’ll gonna have a crepe for delivery," he said. "I’m grateful for those who’ve continued to support. The concept was built for sit down not carry out and delivery."
So when in-person dining was restricted, Williams had to get creative. He gets why it happened, but that doesn’t make it easier."
"I have friends and family members who have lost people," he said. "I truly understand it. But we’re also dying a slow death here."
He turned to a GoFundMe to raise money to stay open and let people know his business is still here.
"I had a lot of trepidation about doing it. I didn’t really want to ask the village for money. Since the village has been supporting me all along. But looking at my future, my future revenue, if there was another shutdown, I don’t know if I would endure that," he said.
This way he can also bring back staff eventually.
"It’s hard to plan because I don’t know if a shutdown is going to happen," he said. "It is difficult to hire and bring people back just to let them go. I’m baby-stepping this time to see what happens."
The restaurant offers Crepe’s du jour, a menu that delights the senses and offers a different kind of experience.
"I can’t take the credit for the excellent cuisine - but I will take the credit for the excellent cuisine," Williams quipped.
"Sweet, savory, gluten-free, vegetarian, breakfast, lunch, desert," he said. "Right now we are not offering dinner, we do have limited hours."
This Saturday he says he’s participating in a "brunch pop up" offering crepes via East Eats in Detroit. Le Crepe is at 317 S Washington Ave, Royal Oak, 48067.