By R. Hans Miller | Times Senior Reporter

Crown Kitchen and Willy Burger adjusting to keep Katy eating during pandemic

Posted 4/13/20

Colburn McClelland is getting a lot of exercise these days as he races back and forth between his two businesses at Tiger Square in Old Town Katy – Crown Pizza and Willy Burger. McClelland has …

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By R. Hans Miller | Times Senior Reporter

Crown Kitchen and Willy Burger adjusting to keep Katy eating during pandemic

Posted

Colburn McClelland is getting a lot of exercise these days as he races back and forth between his two businesses at Tiger Square in Old Town Katy – Crown Kitchen (formerly Crown Pizza) and Willy Burger. McClelland has been able to keep both restaurants open by adjusting his business plan to meet the needs of as many staff as possible and the community he serves.

“Crown Kitchen has totally changed our operation to meet the demand,” McClelland said. “It was a gut decision to do what we needed to do.”

Crown Kitchen has adjusted its business model to make things work for the community and for the business, McClelland said. The restaurant is offering a limited menu that is more oriented toward feeding a family at a time rather than individual meals found on the regular menu. The menu is posted online on the restaurant’s Facebook page each Monday afternoon. Once the menu is posted, patrons can call in to have their names added to the list for the next day.

Crown Kitchen has been able to keep all of its staff on board during the adjustment, McClelland said.

“I’m not making any money but at this time I just feel that the money will come down the road. I’m mostly concerned about doing my part,” McClelland said.

Some of the staff at Willy Burger were furloughed at least until things return to normal, McClelland said. Business at the burger restaurant has just been too slow to keep everyone on board, he said. McClelland praised his staff at both businesses for their efforts both to keep the restaurants going and to help the community.

“Mike (Daniels, manager at Willy Burger) and the team are holding up,” McClelland said. “… I always have five to seven people on staff but right now I’m running it with two to three (and they’re) doing the best they can.”

Daniels, the manager at Willy Burger, said the staff he has are working hard as a team and taking care of burger lovers in Katy. The restaurant had tried to do deliveries, but that hadn’t worked out as well as they’d hoped, he said. Most of Willy Burger’s business right now is through the walk up window where people order and then socially distance themselves until their food is ready. Daniels said he thinks part of it is that Katy residents want to get out of the house, so they do the window service and social distancing just to get some fresh air and escape their homes – at least temporarily.

While the staff he was able to keep on have been amazing, Daniels said he worries about the staff the restaurant had to furlough.

“It’s just that it hurts, what’s going on right now,” Daniels said. “Because I had to let four employees go for right now, until it’s all over with. It’s stuff like that which weighs on my mind right now.”

Crown Kitchen’s staff are “really grinding,” McClelland said. The restaurant’s kitchen was set up for dine-in service, so switching to a drive-thru, curbside model and catering-style services makes for some extra work. He said he was proud of his staff for putting in the extra work, which has allowed the restaurant to help out seniors by delivering free meals.

McClelland said he had reached out to Adrienne Davitz, a Katy resident they knew would have information on seniors that need assistance and asked her how the restaurant could help.

Davitz said she asked how many people he thought he could help, then reached out to the people she knows through volunteering around the community. Once a few clients were set up, she got some friends to help deliver the meals a few times a week.

“I go pick up the meals at 5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and then meet my sweet delivery friends at the empty parking lot of Yaya club and we distribute meals,” Davitz said.

The restaurant provides meals for 20 households – one of which is a single mom recovering from a hospital stay rather than a senior –  three times per week, Davitz said. She and her delivery helpers review some safety rules and then drop off the meals around town as needed.

Safety is important at the restaurants too, McClelland said. Workers are wearing gloves and masks and changing the gloves out regularly. McClelland said he wants to stay open, but he also wants to make sure none of his customers gets sick as a result.

“We don’t want to take germs from money and doorknobs and get folks sick,” McClelland said.

McClelland also shares his information in the Katy FOOD TO GO during COVID-19 Facebook group which provides information on other restaurants that are making adjustments to keep diners fed during the pandemic.

OTHER CURBSIDE OPTIONS

 

Restaurants across the Katy area are struggling during the pandemic. Below is a noncomprehensive listing of restaurants that remain open if Katy residents need a break from cooking. The public has also rallied together to create a Facebook group to help restaurants called: Katy FOOD TO GO during COVID-19 which may have additional information on restaurants and food services as this situation develops.

Katy:

Crown Kitchen
(Formerly Crown Pizza)
Phone ahead curbside drive-thru
Menu posted to Facebook
6191 Hwy. Blvd., Ste. 302, Katy
281-391-0112
www.facebook.com/crownkitchenkaty  

Willy Burger
Curbside window service only, Full menu
11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Mon. thru Sat.
6191 Hwy. Blvd., Ste. 101, Katy
832-437-4566
www.willy-burger.com

Snappy’s
Curbside with limited menu.
Menu posted to Facebook daily.
Open daily 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
281-391-8163
www.snappyskatytx.com

Los Cucos Mexican Restaurant
Curbside drive-thru service, free delivery
Limited menu
5831 Hwy. Blvd., Katy
281-391-9466
www.loscucos.com

Casa Vera Mexican Restaurant
Call by 6 p.m. the day before to order a $24.99 family meal.
Menu changes daily and is posted to Facebook. Curbside.
1420 Katy Fort Bend Road, Ste. 130, Katy
832-683-0991
www.casaveramexicanrestaurant.com

Pappa Gyros
Drive-Thru, Carry-Out, Phone Orders, Curbside, Delivery (Uber Eats)
Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
23255 Kingsland Blvd., Katy
281-574-7764
www.pappagyros.com

Snooze, an A.M. Eatery
Delivery and pickup – order online
Open daily 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
281-394-7780
23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd., Ste. K100
https://snoozeeatery.olo.express/menu/cinco

Pattison:

Mamie’s Kitchen
Limited Menu
Curbside only
Open 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Tues.-Fri.
281-394-1112
www.mamieskitchen.com

Brookshire:

Shire Distilling Co.
Hand sanitizer and spirits to go
Open 1-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
281-375-9151
545 Bains St., Ste. 303, Brookshire
www.shiredistilling.com

Ernesto’s Mexican Restaurant
Curbside/To Go only
Full menu
281-934-4944
535 FM 1489, Brookshire
https://www.facebook.com/Ernestos-Mexican-Restaurant-194377750581083/

Fulshear:

Big Paulie’s Pizzeria
Pickup, Curbside, Delivery
Also has basic household goods such as cleaning supplies available
Full menu and specials
6420 FM 1463, Ste. 100, Fulshear
281-346-8405
www.bigpauliesfulshear.com

COVID-19, Crown Kitchen, Willy Burger, Colburn McClelland, Mike Daniels, restaurants, Adrienne Davitz, Katy, Tiger Square