Wolffy's Burgers gets creative amidst indoor dining restrictions

AIRWAY HEIGHTS-When Gov. Jay Inslee's updated mandates shut down indoor dining in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its rising totals in November, Justin and Jessica Davis, owners of Wolffy's Breakfast Burgers and Brew, knew it would be difficult to sustain a restaurant being solely reliant on takeout orders.

So, they decided to get creative.

During the first round of shutdowns, Wolffy's was shut down for about three months. Indoor dining, with heavy restrictions, was then allowed between June-November, when the restaurant was very busy, the Davis' said. A $20,000 PPP loan helped bring back some staff.

"We had a line out both doors for our regular customers waiting to come eat inside," Justin Davis said. "We were busier during that time then we were even before the shutdown."

Then, talk began to swirl that another shutdown might be coming so the Davis' began to get to work on the outdoor seating pergola. The move would prove to be a lifesaver, as that indoor dining restriction arrived in November.

To combat the cold temperatures that accompany an Inland Northwest winter, Justin Davis put plastic sheet covering around the outdoor patio area, with room at the top for required airflow and ventilation, and bought two outdoor heaters to keep the area a comfortable 65 degrees. A customer donated a third heater, so the area now has three heaters warming the roughly 10 tables where customers can enjoy a meal.

The investment was risky, the Davis' said, as they were forced to invest money in creating the outdoor area without money coming in.

"It was scary to put the money into it, not knowing if it's going to pan out," Jessica Davis said.

Then, three weeks later, Wolffy's was back with a space for outdoor seating, a move Justin Davis is needed to support their five children and Justin's family.

"Our money goes to our kids," Davis said. "Our business supports my mom, my dad, my grandmother who lives with them. It supports three households, basically."

Business has declined during the second shutdown, compared to the first shutdown, but the outdoor heated seating has helped. During the first shutdown, the restaurant saw high volume, as people had stimulus and unemployment money to burn, while the community wanted to show its support, Justin Davis said.

"This time around, we didn't see as much of that," he said. "It wasn't a lack of support from the community; it was a lack of money...I would say our business on the second shutdown, compared to the first, was almost cut in half."

Weekdays remain slow, the Davis' said, but the weekend morning breakfast crowd has come back with a boom.

"Some people come every day, for six or seven days (in a row)," Justin Davis said. "They see what we're trying to do... it is, really, loyalty."

"People don't want to sit outside, because it's cold," Jessica Davis added. "But we've figured out a way to make it comfortable."

The restaurant is currently operating with two part-time and two full-time employees. Prior to the first round of shutdowns, there were 12 full-time employees.

"Hours-wise, they lost about 70-75% of the hours," Justin Davis said.

The outdoor seating is limited to five people per table. Justin Davis said people have complained that Wolffy's may be breaking rules by covering the outdoor area, but he said the roof not being sealed on either side provides cross ventilation.

Current outdoor seating requirements say that structures can have three walls if another opening exists large enough to provide cross ventilation. There are multiple openings in the plastic sheeting around the outdoor seating area at Wolffy's.

"I've talked to the police chief, liquor board, state representatives, (mayor) Kevin Richey...every single one of them have said they will take our meetings because we don't cheat the rules," Justin Davis said. "We're in compliance."

The restaurant also received some criticism on social media for the lack of employees wearing masks, but the Davis' said they have received clearance from their doctors to not do so due to pre-existing medical conditions.

"It's not that we're not wearing them because we don't want to...we both have medical conditions where we don't have to wear them," Justin Davis said. "My entire backhouse, they all wear masks."

"If you don't think we're doing something right, call me," he added. "Come out and look at it, and I'll show you why we're doing it right. People want to run their mouth and complain, rather than having any real information."

Business may be tight, but the Davis' said they aren't giving up on the restaurant they've owned for three years.

"We're not willing to give up on everything we've put into this and everything that this business means to our family to let it go under," Jessica Davis said.

Drew Lawson can be reached at [email protected].