Midtown Coffee House reopens after unplanned two-week closure
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Two weeks after an unexpected closure, it’s back to business as usual for this local coffeeshop. Midtown Coffee House reopened April 29 after a bathroom leak forced them to shut doors on the weekend of April 13.
Owner Mike Maldonado explained he and co-owner/wife Angie had faith that their business would survive the unplanned closure, but they worried about the financial impact on employees.
“God has been good to us since the beginning – you know – we know that whatever happens is his will,” Mike Maldonado said.
He continued, “We weren’t terribly worried, stuff always happens. We were just more concerned about the staff.”
Closing meant Midtown Coffee House employees were out of work for multiple weeks as the damaged floors were changed out.
According to the owners, the leak happened in one of the business’ bathrooms and covered the floors in nearly a quarter inch of water. While the kitchen remained undamaged, all the wooden floorboards in the building had to be torn out and replaced.
The Maldonados tried to offset the financial burden of the closure by partially reopening for online order pickup as they waited for new floors to come in. However, they had to fully close doors a few days later as the replacement took place.
At nearly 11 a.m. on the first day back and fully operational, the tables inside Midtown Coffee House were just as full as the tables outside. To any observer, it might have looked as if the business never closed.
However, the financial impact is still there. Owners explained the lost revenue from closing unexpectedly will not be covered by insurance, even though the building’s landlord helped with floor replacement.
The Maldonados asked customers stopping by to enjoy a cup of coffee, trivia night or some of the café’s new mocktails to consider leaving a little extra in their tips to help employees as the business recovers.
“Really it’s the staff that were, you know, the biggest impacted,” Mike Maldonado said. “So maybe just for a period, you can throw in some extra change for the tip, because we [the owners] don’t get tips but they – it helps them [employees] with their tips.”
Midtown Coffee House is back to its pre-closure operating hours, opening at 7 a.m. every day of the week except for Sunday. More details about menu offerings and daily schedules can be found on the Midtown Coffee House website, other updates are available through the café’s Facebook and Instagram.
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