Hodel's Country Dining has been serving its country-style food for over 50 years. The pandemic has changed their ability to supply an in-person experience and the buffet-style restaurant has had to completely change their strategy.
“We have focused all of our energy to take out, which is new for Hodel’s. Being a buffet, you know we got hit a double whammy,” said General Manager Don Hodel.
While Hodel's is only doing take out orders, they have appreciated the large support from the Bakersfield Community.
“If I could convert the ‘I'm sorry's' and the 'we're behind you's' into money, we would be fine. You know, so lots of support. We appreciate Bakersfield. They’ve been good to us. We’ll get through this together,” Hodel said.
Hodel's has not had to change its opening hours yet, but it may be a possibility in the future.
“Like Monday afternoons, boy those are dead. And a lot of places are closing on Monday, Tuesday," Hodel said. "So we are looking at those kinds of options.”
Luckily, Hodel's has been able to keep staff on and be able to support their workers during this time. Hodel gave some advice for other businesses that may be affected by the upcoming monitoring stage.
“We are in this together and you want to all you can to promote community health, so do your due diligence," Hodel said. "You’ll see just how hard we are working to keep food on the table for you and for us.”
