During the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, the Main & Mill Brewing Co. in Festus donated hundreds of meals to health care workers and people with disabilities who receive services through the Developmental Disability Advocates organization, said Denny Foster, one of the Main & Mill owners.
The restaurant and brewing company, at 240 E. Main St., partnered with other businesses for some of the donations. In all, Main & Mill and its partners donated 725 meals, Foster said.
“We did it because of the pandemic,” he said. “We did it for, like, six weeks," he said. "We had some meat donated by John’s Butcher Shoppe (in Festus) and had Ortmann Concrete (in Arnold) partner in paying for 40 meals for (Mercy Hospital Jefferson) staff.”
He said his restaurant also partnered with Saigon Restaurant and Taytro’s, both in Festus, for some of the meal donations.
Foster said Main & Mill worked with Developmental Disability Advocates to identify some of the people who needed meals.
“We want to help the community,” he said.
Main & Mill reopened its inside dining to customers June 10 but continues to offer curbside service at the establishment, Foster said.
He said the restaurant is limiting the number of patrons inside the restaurant in order to allow social distancing.
“Normally, we could have 185 inside,” Foster said, “We can have 70 to 75 under social distancing.”
He said the pandemic has slowed some of his plans for expansion. He previously acquired another building, at 10 E. Main St., in Festus, where beer is being brewed, but plans to open a tasting room there are on hold.
