A steady flow of cars rolled through the makeshift drive thru in a otherwise empty parking lot at the Italian Canadian Club on the weekend, where customers picked up meals they ordered from the Buon Appetito takeout menu.
“Prior to this you only got to enjoy our food through an event,” said ICC food and beverage manager Roxane Johnson Bard. “Now you get to enjoy it whenever you like, which is kind of nice.”
If you have lived in Guelph for any period of time over the past four and a half decades, there is a good chance you have attended a wedding, anniversary, company banquet or some other community event such as the annual Festival Italiano at the ICC.
“Just last week I had someone tell me, ‘We have come for banquets, weddings and anniversaries and we love the food so, it is such an excitement to be able to have it in our own home now. We don’t have to wait to be invited to something’,” said Bard. “I thought that was a really nice thing to hear.”
The pandemic has forced restaurants and banquet halls to cancel scheduled events and close their doors to in-house dining but the folks at the ICC found a way to keep their hungry members and supporters well fed.
“When we were closed down in the spring, due to the pandemic, we had to pivot in the way we supplied services to the community,” said Bard. “As all the events were put on hold, we figured the best way to take care of guests from that point would be through a take-out style business so, that is what we’ve started with.”
Buon Appetito food orders can be placed by phone at 519 821-1110 or by email at [email protected]
“We offer Friday and Saturday night take out or delivery,” said Bard. “We have a set menu that comes out on Tuesday via social media as well as email blasts and our website https://italiancanadianclubguelph.ca/takeout-menu/.
All orders are prepaid through credit card or e-transfer so there is no cash exchanged during pickup and staff members maintain a safe distance from customers who are encouraged to stay in their cars while the food is placed in an open rear door or hatch.
“When we first started, because everything was absolutely shutdown, including a lot of takeout restaurants, we were lined up down the street and around the corner,” said Bard. “There is so much more open now, but it is common to have 20 cars or more in the lineup.”
Despite the heavy snow fall Friday and sub-zero temperatures Saturday, Bard and ICC staff members worked hard to keep the meals and cars moving during the scheduled pick-up time.
One customer told GuelphToday she was picking up meals for a large family dinner.
“I am going to deliver this food to three separate homes before I go home,” she said. “After that we are all going to connect with each other on Zoom and have a family dinner together.”
Stories like that are a reminder of the resilience of families, the importance of tradition and the role the ICC continues to play in bringing people and community together to break bread and celebrate life.
“We’ve had so much positive feedback,” said Bard. “Every way we can make a dollar helps, definitely, but it is great thing for the community as well. People are looking forward to the weekends to see what we are offering that week.”
They are even considering keeping the Buon Appetito service going when things return to normal.
“We are looking forward to events coming back but we hope to continue on as things open up as well,” said Bard. “There have been a lot of happy faces definitely. The amount of repeat orders, I think, speaks for itself, for sure.”
