• Home
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • News Tips/Press Releases
  • Advertising
Saturday, May 28, 2022
No Result
View All Result
The Times-Delphic
  • News
    • All
    • Administrative News
    • Campus Events
    • Campus Health
    • Caucus Roundup
    • In Des Moines
    • Politics
    • Student Politics
    • Student Senate
    • The Ones

    Drake University Adds Five New Electric Vans

    Indira Sheumaker, city councilmembers find common ground among conflicts

    Drake urges community to remain cautious as reporting of new COVID-19 cases slows

    Drake urges community to remain cautious as reporting of new COVID-19 cases slows

    Drake to build University Center

    Student Senate passes resolution in support of the transgender community

    • Administrative News
    • The Ones
    • Campus Events
    • Campus Health
    • Caucus Roundup
    • In Des Moines
    • Politics
    • Student Politics
    • Student Senate
    • Senate Elections
  • Sports
    • All
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Column
    • Cross-Country
    • E-Sports
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Rowing
    • Soccer
    • Softball
    • Tennis
    • Track and Field
    • Volleyball

    Promising 2022 NFL Draft for Packers fans

    The two national parks you should visit this summer

    Des Moines lands news USL team and stadium district

    Former Drake Basketball Player Wins National Championship

    The Top Moves of NFL Free Agency

    • Basketball
    • Column
    • Cross-Country
    • E-Sports
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Rowing
    • Soccer
    • Softball
  • Commentary
    • All
    • Horoscope
    • Letter from the Editor
    • Letter to the Editor

    Hip astrology: Relays horoscope

    Painted Street ain’t so sweet when costs are heaped

    Commentary: Top 5 Self Care Tips

    Commentary: Top 5 Self Care Tips

    Commentary: How to meet your next partner in 2022

    Commentary: “Oh… We’re Not Dating…”

    • Horoscope
    • Letter from the Editor
  • Features
    • All
    • Greek Life
    Drake welcomes first Black woman Student Body President

    Student Body President Morgan Coleman shares experiences as a leader

    Painted Street recap

    Bam Bam wins Drake University’s 43rd annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest

    New Casey’s Location on Forest Avenue

    ADA student task force advocates for disability inclusion

    • Greek Life
  • Podcasts
    Drake Weekly Sports Podcast | December 3

    Drake Weekly Sports Podcast | December 3

    Drake Public Safety and the student body

    Drake Public Safety and the student body

    Humans of Drake Podcast

    Bulldog Blitz 1: December 7, 2010

    The Sports Report 2010 7: 11/09/2010

  • Relays Edition

    Bill that would make Iowa a hands-free driving state stalls in the legislature

    New Casey’s Location on Forest Avenue

    ADA student task force advocates for disability inclusion

    Des Moines lands news USL team and stadium district

    The Great Resignation: What Is It? And Why Is It Happening?

    The Great Resignation: What Is It? And Why Is It Happening?

    Hip astrology: Relays horoscope

    State of Sustainability at Drake

    Dean Kathleen Richardson: Leaving a Legacy for the Drake SJMC

    Painted Street ain’t so sweet when costs are heaped

    • Commentary
    • Coronavirus
    • Elections
    • Features
    • In Des Moines
    • News
    • This week in photos
    • Top News
    • Top Stories
    • Uncategorized
    • Video
    • Sports
    • Security Reports
    • Relays Edition
    • Poll
    • Podcasts
    • Online Exclusives
    • Opinion
  • News
    • All
    • Administrative News
    • Campus Events
    • Campus Health
    • Caucus Roundup
    • In Des Moines
    • Politics
    • Student Politics
    • Student Senate
    • The Ones

    Drake University Adds Five New Electric Vans

    Indira Sheumaker, city councilmembers find common ground among conflicts

    Drake urges community to remain cautious as reporting of new COVID-19 cases slows

    Drake urges community to remain cautious as reporting of new COVID-19 cases slows

    Drake to build University Center

    Student Senate passes resolution in support of the transgender community

    • Administrative News
    • The Ones
    • Campus Events
    • Campus Health
    • Caucus Roundup
    • In Des Moines
    • Politics
    • Student Politics
    • Student Senate
    • Senate Elections
  • Sports
    • All
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Column
    • Cross-Country
    • E-Sports
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Rowing
    • Soccer
    • Softball
    • Tennis
    • Track and Field
    • Volleyball

    Promising 2022 NFL Draft for Packers fans

    The two national parks you should visit this summer

    Des Moines lands news USL team and stadium district

    Former Drake Basketball Player Wins National Championship

    The Top Moves of NFL Free Agency

    • Basketball
    • Column
    • Cross-Country
    • E-Sports
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Rowing
    • Soccer
    • Softball
  • Commentary
    • All
    • Horoscope
    • Letter from the Editor
    • Letter to the Editor

    Hip astrology: Relays horoscope

    Painted Street ain’t so sweet when costs are heaped

    Commentary: Top 5 Self Care Tips

    Commentary: Top 5 Self Care Tips

    Commentary: How to meet your next partner in 2022

    Commentary: “Oh… We’re Not Dating…”

    • Horoscope
    • Letter from the Editor
  • Features
    • All
    • Greek Life
    Drake welcomes first Black woman Student Body President

    Student Body President Morgan Coleman shares experiences as a leader

    Painted Street recap

    Bam Bam wins Drake University’s 43rd annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest

    New Casey’s Location on Forest Avenue

    ADA student task force advocates for disability inclusion

    • Greek Life
  • Podcasts
    Drake Weekly Sports Podcast | December 3

    Drake Weekly Sports Podcast | December 3

    Drake Public Safety and the student body

    Drake Public Safety and the student body

    Humans of Drake Podcast

    Bulldog Blitz 1: December 7, 2010

    The Sports Report 2010 7: 11/09/2010

  • Relays Edition

    Bill that would make Iowa a hands-free driving state stalls in the legislature

    New Casey’s Location on Forest Avenue

    ADA student task force advocates for disability inclusion

    Des Moines lands news USL team and stadium district

    The Great Resignation: What Is It? And Why Is It Happening?

    The Great Resignation: What Is It? And Why Is It Happening?

    Hip astrology: Relays horoscope

    State of Sustainability at Drake

    Dean Kathleen Richardson: Leaving a Legacy for the Drake SJMC

    Painted Street ain’t so sweet when costs are heaped

    • Commentary
    • Coronavirus
    • Elections
    • Features
    • In Des Moines
    • News
    • This week in photos
    • Top News
    • Top Stories
    • Uncategorized
    • Video
    • Sports
    • Security Reports
    • Relays Edition
    • Poll
    • Podcasts
    • Online Exclusives
    • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
The Times-Delphic
No Result
View All Result
Home Lifestyle food

A Q&A with downtown restaurant owners

byReyna Auyan-Escobar
February 28, 2022
in food, Lifestyle, News, Relays Edition, Top Stories
0 0
0
A Q&A with downtown restaurant owners

Photo by Brady Lovig | Staff Photographer

Throughout this pandemic many restaurants have closed permanently or are struggling to keep the doors open. The restaurants around Drake University live in a symbiotic relationship where many alumni can trace back their college years to these community institutions that fed them during Relays week, cold nights and exam weeks.  How have restaurants near Drake university been surviving with fewer students on campus? 

I sat down with the owners/managers of China Palace, Fernando’s Mexican Grill, and Gursha Ethiopian Grill to find out how they’ve been staying afloat during the pandemic. 

  1. How long have you been open?

China Palace: We’ve been open for 15 years 

Fernando’s Mexican Grill: Fernando’s has been open for about 8 years. We’ve been open in this location for four and a half months. (Fernando’s moved up a block and Gursha Ethiopan Grill moved into their original location). 

Gursha Ethiopian Grill: We opened Jan.19 of this year.

  1. What made you start this restaurant? 

CP: My (Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen) parents decided to open a family restaurant as a way to support themselves and their family and have more income. To be able to have a family business where me and my brother can work. 

FMG: The owner (Kahed Abdalla) had a previous pizza business and the owner with Fernando decided that they wanted to open a Mexican grill. 

GEG: Me (Ali Nuri) and my family, we always wanted to be in the food business, so we had been looking around. An opportunity came to partner up with the Halal grocery store owners (Sala Sala) and Fernando’s was in this location before and we knew he was moving to a new location. So this place became open and it was just the right time and opportunity that we needed to go ahead and do it. 

  1. How was business before the pandemic? 

CP: The business before the pandemic was really good. We would get busy almost like every day, you know calling for pick-up, or dining in. Most people during lunch would come in for dine in and we would get busy. Just after the pandemic everything you know, went down hill.

FMG: Business was really good. Fernando’s was doing great before the pandemic. 

GEG: Since we opened up during COVID-19, business has been really good. We have the community’s support, and we’re one of the only Ethiopian restaurants here, and the demand for it is big. 

  1. How Important is Drake University to your restaurant? 

CP: Very important because we have students here who come here, and the locals who come here as well, who support us. And it’s easy for the students too because they can just walk here, and they don’t have to worry about transportation to get here and they can find a really good place to eat. 

FMG: It’s very important to us, we enjoy partnering up with the staff, students and the alumni. 

GEG: Oh man, it’s major, because we are in their neighborhood for one, and we get a lot of Drake students here, and just being around younger students who can try something new. A lot of the students come here and say they’re tired of eating burgers, and eating this and that. Many vegan students come here as we have vegan options, and it’s really exciting for a lot of the people in town. 

  1. How has having less than half the student population at Drake, affected your restaurant? 

CP: It has affected it a lot because without the open dine in, no student can come in to eat, and I understand Drake has been doing classes online. So we started to offer the option to use our website to be able to order online and we will deliver to your door or your house, making it safer for them. We aren’t in business with DoorDash or GrubHub but they asked if they could use our app and we said yes, because it will bring more business to our restaurant and help out the drivers when we’re not delivering. 

FMG: It has affected it a lot. Revenue has gone way down and it has been a significant loss for us. 

  1. Many restaurants across the country have closed due to the pandemic and many won’t reopen. What have you changed or done to avoid having to make that decision? 

CP: We have continued to open even though other businesses have chosen not to. We still see a little bit of profit. 

FMG: We’ve really tried to watch our costs, and we’ve been able to stay open because our restaurant is more of a pick up rather than dine in. It has hurt us not having dine in but it hasn’t affected us like other restaurants. 

GEG: As many businesses closed during COVID-19, many have opened up. It had it’s pros and cons, opening during COVID-19 was a little risky. It’s really the customers in town who have demanded an Ethiopian place in town. They always go to the Halal grocery store and buy the flatbread Injera. They can only buy the bread and none of the sides that typically go with it so it’s that demand that’s driving the business and keeping us open. 

  1. Are you looking forward to the Drake Relays? 

CP:  Yes, it always brings business into our restaurant. 

FMG: Absolutely, the relays are always good for us. 

GEG: Oh yes, we are so looking forward to it. Drake relays have always been one of my favorite times of the year. 

  1. Are you hopeful that business will be better by the end of the year? 

CP: Yeah, I hope so. Once everyone gets their vaccine, we will be able to open up and hopefully during the end of this year and the beginning of the next we will continue as normal again. That’s what I hope because I miss my customers and them coming in and saying hi. 

FMG: Yes, it’s coming back. I can tell the students have come back because more students are coming in. So I hope by the end of the year, when things go back to normal, business will be better. 

GEG: Oh yes, people are so ready to go back to normalcy. I think by the end of this year, once the vaccines go out and everybody gets permission by the CDC to go out and be free again, it will be better. 

With vaccine rollout ramping up, local restaurants are expecting increased business in the coming months. If you’re in the area on April 22-24, Gursha Ethiopian Grill will be having a smoothie giveaway all month long. Make sure to pick up a menu from China Palace as well and use their QR code to order online during the Relays, if you want to beat the crowds.

Tags: DogtownFoodlifestylenews

Reyna Auyan-Escobar

Next Post
Drake University Puts on a Production of Into the Woods

Performing during a pandemic

Twitter Feeds

The Times-Delphic
The Times-Delphic @timesdelphic

The Times-Delphic is still hiring for the positions of Student Senate Beat Writer, Business and Finance Manager and Distributor for the 2022-23 school year! Apply online or reach out to grace.altenhofen @drake.edu for more information. https://t.co/U9VY5TtOZt
View on Twitter
timesdelphic photo
0
1
The Times-Delphic
The Times-Delphic @timesdelphic

BREAKING: Drake President Marty Martin announced in a campuswide email that Drake's number of active cases is projected to decline to 80 by the end of the day, down 241 since early Friday afternoon.
View on Twitter
2
10

Recommended

Softball: Past achievements spur confidence ahead

6 years ago

Francis Marion Drake Society Dinner and Fireworks

12 years ago

Popular News

  • Twitch Streamer Raises Money for LGBT Community

    Twitch Streamer Raises Money for LGBT Community

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Gladwell’s “Outliers” reveals the many factors of success

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Drake ranks among Ivy Leagues on Economist list

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The history of Indian boarding schools in Iowa

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Music as a political platform

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Drake Weekly Sports Podcast | December 3

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Humans of Drake Podcast

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Sports Report 2010 7: 11/09/2010

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Familiar face helps bring massive skatepark to Des Moines

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The rise and fall of Motown Records

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Connect with us

  • About
  • Home
  • Podcasts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Virtual Edition
  • Advertising

Copyright 2015 Fuel Themes. All RIGHTS RESERVED.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Administrative News
    • The Ones
    • Campus Events
    • Campus Health
    • Caucus Roundup
    • In Des Moines
    • Politics
    • Student Politics
    • Student Senate
    • Senate Elections
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Column
    • Cross-Country
    • E-Sports
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Rowing
    • Soccer
    • Softball
  • Commentary
    • Horoscope
    • Letter from the Editor
  • Features
    • Greek Life
  • Podcasts
  • Relays Edition
    • Commentary
    • Coronavirus
    • Elections
    • Features
    • In Des Moines
    • News
    • This week in photos
    • Top News
    • Top Stories
    • Uncategorized
    • Video
    • Sports
    • Security Reports
    • Relays Edition
    • Poll
    • Podcasts
    • Online Exclusives
    • Opinion

Copyright 2015 Fuel Themes. All RIGHTS RESERVED.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Bodybuilder is fighting for his life after taking dirty steroids femara uk trump's "operation warp speed" for mass vaxxing. "big bucks for big pharma" - global research