Mount Pleasant Magazine Documenting Covid-19

87 www.CoronavirusMag.com | www.ReadMPM.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com feature W hen you take a moment to think about the core values of our town, one of the first things that comes to mind is our hospitality. It’s no wonder that we’ve built a booming industry on the back of the friendly reception and overall care for others that Charleston is famous for. Sadly, in a city where striking up a conversation with a stranger is commonplace, the effects of a virus that require us to hide from one another are all the more visible, and nobody has been hit harder by the economic impact of this pandemic than our world-renowned restaurant industry. Forced to shutter their dining rooms, lay off entire staffs and cover their warm smiles with face masks as they pass bags of comforting food to us through half- cracked car windows — the lives of everyone from small farmers to sommeliers have been turned upside down. But, where there is passion, there is determination, and our Charleston restaurants have banded together to fight, serve and help those in need in unprecedented ways as we continue to adapt to COVID-19. Like so many restauranteurs, Edward Crouse has seen his carefully curated business plan turned on its head as the pandemic unfolds. Crouse is the owner of Babas on Cannon, an intimate European-style café downtown. Now, he’s fighting to continue to provide patrons and his team with a safe environment without sacrificing the hospitality and normalcy that we all crave during these tumultuous times. As Governor McMaster held his press conference announcing school closures, Crouse and his mother were busy rearranging the Babas dining room to accommodate the impending dine-in closure. They contemplated the idea of sliding a table up to the front door, creating a spot where customers could quickly pick up their orders with BY LINDSAY C. BISHOP The Importance of Hospitality In Times of Trouble, Our Restaurant Industry Bands Together to Bring Us Hope