When customers at Eden Family Restaurant peer at the eatery’s menu, they are able to see what ingredients are included in each item in the sandwiches and entrees.
One example is quite simple to understand, according to one of the eatery’s owners, Erik Marple.
“If you want gravy one your fries but you would rather have the mushroom gravy that comes with our Chopped Steak dinner, that’s fine with us and our staff members will make it happen,” he explained. “Our customers can ask for whatever they want at Eden,” Marple said. “If a customer sees an ingredient that’s included in another menu item, but they want it on what they are ordering, that’s fine with us because we want to make sure our customers are pleased with their meals. That’s the best way to make sure they come back and see us.
“I know some restaurants say that no changes can be made to their menu items, but we don’t think that’s a very smart way to go about the restaurant business,” he said. “In our minds, the only way to go about it is to give the customers exactly what they want instead of serving only what we want to serve. Maybe those places do that because their kitchen staff can’t handle it, but ours definitely can and will at any time.”
Easing Restrictions
W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice said on Wednesday during his mid-week Covid-19 briefing that he and his staff were considering loosening mandates now on businesses in the state, including chain and local restaurants.
Currently at Eden Family Restaurant, the 50 percent occupancy rule is in place as well as social distancing and other such requirements. Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine removed the curfew on businesses last week, and many of the same moves have been ordered in Pennsylvania.
“It’s no surprise that Gov. Justice is going to do something now since Pennsylvania and Ohio have already loosened some things up,” Marple said. “No matter what the governor does, though, people want to feel safe when they go out, and I think that’s still going to take some time. The numbers are much lower, sure, but people are living differently these days.
“For several months we’ve been limited to 50 percent capacity, but it’s been difficult just to reach that limit because of the mindset people have now,” he said. “It has picked up the last two months, but very slowly. I get it, but it’s frustrating when you’re doing everything possible to keep people safe. Luckily, we’ve been able to stay open by putting more money into it to keep people employed, but not everyone can do that.”
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
On Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays, Eden opens for breakfast at 8 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. following dinner service, and on Thursday through Saturday the establishment remains open until 10 p.m. The eatery is closed on Tuesdays to allow for deliveries and to perform a thorough cleaning.
Take-out was the only option the owners had for a few months at the beginning of the pandemic, and while that remains available to call-in customers, Marple hopes more patrons will decide to eat in the dining room instead.
“When it was take-only only, it was terrible,” he recalled. “We do use some delivery with the services like Door Dash, but we only do that for the people who really don’t want to go out in public. Plus, some of our menu items just aren’t items that are meant to travel. They are the meals that should be eaten as soon as they arrive at the table in our dining room.
“Now, some things are OK when they are delivered, but not all of them, and that makes it tough on everyone involved,” he continued. “We still get a lot of calls for delivery, so I hope people think about those things when they order because if it’s below 30 degrees outside, it’s difficult to get the orders there in good shape.”
The owners of Eden Family Restaurant celebrated their one-year anniversary for the eatery earlier this month, and they are hopeful that the governor’s directives allow more local residents to feel safe to enjoy the family atmosphere that’s been created inside 135 Virginia St. on Wheeling Island.
“No one who comes here for a meal is going to complain if another customer has a couple of kids running around the place and having fun,” Marple said. “What we wanted to give the people of Wheeling Island and the surrounding area is a place where the food is great and can be enjoyed by an entire family. That’s something that’s really missing here on Wheeling Island, and we have heard from a lot of our customers how happy they are to have that option again.
“People just need to feel comfortable whether that means because of Covid or because of their kids,” he added. “We all have kids, so we know how difficult it can be to take them to a restaurant without someone complaining about something, but that’s not the case at Eden.”
