SIGNS OF RENEWAL: 2 more downtown Dayton businesses to join wave of reopenings

Local  Cantina, Barrel House lay out their plans to begin carryout and curbside pickup operations
The Barrel House on East Third Street and Wayne Avenue will reopen for carryout and curbside pickup on May 1, allowing one customer to come into the store at a time. Nearby, Local  Cantina also will reopen for carryout daily. TOM GILLIAM / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

The Barrel House on East Third Street and Wayne Avenue will reopen for carryout and curbside pickup on May 1, allowing one customer to come into the store at a time. Nearby, Local  Cantina also will reopen for carryout daily. TOM GILLIAM / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
What to Know
By Mark Fisher
April 23, 2020
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Two more downtown Dayton businesses are joining the growing wave of dining and beer-related destinations that have decided to reopen as carryout and curbside pickup operations as Ohio slowly starts to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic-related lockdown.

"We've said it several times, but it's worth repeating: we miss you!" the owners of The Barrel House wrote on the craft beer bottle shop and growler refill bar's Facebook page today, April 23. "With the news of Ohio beginning to reopen on May 1, we have decided that we will also reopen on May 1, in a limited capacity."

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A few blocks away, Local Cantina Water Street will open for carryout tomorrow, on April 24, the restaurant announced on its Facebook page.

The Barrel House will allow one customer inside the shop at a time for those who want to browse the shelves, the shop’s owners said. Temporary hours of operation will be noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Curbside pickup will be available outside the shop’s back door, and orders can be placed at 937-222-4795.

“It’s not perfect or ideal, but we feel it is the safe and responsible way for us to proceed at this time,” the owners wrote.

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In a Facebook message exchange, Barrel House co-owner Sara Stathes said, “Unless we’re going out of business, we have to reopen. We technically could have been open this whole time, but we felt that it was responsible to close temporarily. With Ohio beginning to open back up, we felt that the time was right, but with truncated hours and only allowing one customer inside at a time. That way we can serve as their ‘personal shopper,’ if you will, so no customers need to touch anything.”

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The Barrel House did not receive funding in the initial round of the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program. “We were hoping to get help from the PPP, but now we know that no one is coming to save us except ourselves and our customers,” Stathes said.

Local Cantina restaurant is now open on East First Street in downtown Dayton

Credit: Mark Fisher

icon to expand image

Credit: Mark Fisher

Local Cantina Webster Station said on its Facebook page that it “will be slinging your favorite tacos and margaritas” daily from noon to 8 p.m. for carryout.

A spokeswoman for Columbus-based Local Cantina said the Dayton restaurant will have five margaritas available for purchase for carryout.

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“Our food menu has been slightly pared down to ensure the food is as fresh as possible,” the spokeswoman said. “We have an order-and-pay-online option through our website, and we encourage all our guests to use this to minimize transactions and contact between the staff and guests.”

“We have limited staff working so they can keep a safe distance from one another, and areas marked out in the restaurant for guests to stand and direct them to pick up food, so they can also keep a safe distance from each other as well as minimizing interactions,” she said.

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“We are working on curbside pickup option and working on delivery through our website as well.”

The restaurant, located at 503 E. First St. adjacent to Fifth Third Field, shut down on March 16, the day after Gov. Mike DeWine announced a mandatory shutdown of all restaurant and pub dine-in services.

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About the Author

Mark Fisher, a 1981 graduate of Ohio State University and a 1976 graduate of Beavercreek High School, is a third-generation Dayton-area resident who has worked for the Dayton Daily News since 1983. He covered higher education and K-12 education accountability issues for nearly 20 years before taking over the food and dining beat in 2006.