CLAWSON, Mich. (WXYZ) — The owner of Zeoli’s on 14 Mile in Clawson say they were just starting to get a steady customer base after being in business for two years, then the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Scott Brown was a chef for 13 years before creating Zeoli’s alongside his family.
“The concern of losing this place, because of something that is completely out of your control is definitely something that weighs on my mind everyday, and a few sleepless nights mixed in there,” said Brown.
Brown’s wife is a yoga instructor, both working hard to provide for their two and a half year old son during this pandemic.
Most days Brown is working hard at the restaurant, since he was forced to cut his staff in half to keep business afloat.
One positive: Working alongside FLAG, or ‘Frontline Appreciation Group’, to complete food orders donated to hospitals worked.
“I would get a text and asked to feed three hundred people at whatever hospitals and every single time I said absolutely, it was a morale booster for us and my employees,” said Brown.
Changes have been made inside the restaurant to practice social distancing and cleanliness. Something Brown says he does for customers, his employees, and to make sure he can keep dine-in open.
“Even as things to seem to be calming down around here, we are not letting our guard down, at all, the last thing I want to do is have a step backwards and have to close down again,” said Brown.
Usually Zeoli’s is open on the Fourth of July, and it’s one of their busiest days. Since events in Clawson and throughout metro Detroit are canceled, they have decided to close for the day.