Springfield has seen a host of micro-breweries pop up in the past decade—but those businesses are among the hardest hit by stay-at-home orders, since their taprooms rely on bringing people together.
On Thursday, Mayor Ken McClure, mayor of the City of Springfield, amended Springfield’s “Road to Recovery” order to allow microbreweries to open their taprooms, as long as they take strict physical distancing measures and don’t have more than 25 people in their facilities at a time.
Curtis Marshall, co-owner of Tie & Timber Beer Company in Springfield's Rountree Neighborhood, spoke with KSMU’s Jennifer Moore after that news broke late Thursday. You can hear an excerpt from their interview below:
“We’re doing better than most and probably not as good as others," Marshall said.
He said he's grateful for the overwhelming community support. Tie & Timber Beer Co. has not yet set a date to reopen, but when it does allow seated customers again, it will only be outdoor seating for a while.
Overall, the effects of the pandemic have been extremely hard on the industry, Marshall said.
"I have no doubt that many breweries across Missouri and the nation are not going to make it through this," Marshall said.
The brewery switched its business model "on a dime" about seven weeks ago to only provide carry-out service, he said.
"We had a plan for a rainy day, and the rainy day came. And we’re getting through this," he said. The brewery is about two years old.
Springtime is the season when most breweries are selling the majority of their beer, he added.
KSMU hosts its monthly event, Studio Live Social Hour, at Tie & Timber Beer Co., but the event has been temporarily suspended during the pandemic.
