Goosetown and the Pandemic (TRT: 1:30)
STAND-UP/ANCHOR LEAD: Restaurants and bars, the golden goose of Iowa City, was one of the casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Reynold’s announcement on March 17 requiring the closure of bars and restaurants hit the service industry first. The following day the streets of downtown Iowa City, which are usually bustling with activity, were barren. (LOWER THIRD: Twitter Handle @RSim)
VO: Northside Iowa City. On a normal day, you would see people going in an out of local businesses. Goosetown Café, on the corner of Market and Linn Street, is normally stirring with activity behind its doors. One person occupies the restaurant these days. Owner, Peter Kessler, stops in frequently to get the mail, and works to keep his furloughed staff informed. (B-roll: wide shot of Goosetown exterior, medium shot of sign and doors, tight shot of banner, medium shots of empty interior)
Peter Kessler SOT: “I’ve ended or began every e-mail to staff with ‘If you guys have any questions, hit me up. Use me as a resource going forward.’ I think just being transparent about what I’m doing at the restaurant helps.” (LOWER THIRD: Goosetown Owner: Peter Kessler)
VO: The pandemic has created an environment of uncertainty. All anyone could do ahead of the closures was plan for the coming storm. (B-roll: medium panning shot of closed businesses on Linn Street)
Peter Kessler SOT: “None of us saw, months out, this coming. That’s kind of a timeline that was unfathomable. But thinking we might have business die down for a month or two was definitely on our minds. Starting a week or two into March, I’d say March 7th, we determined that we were going to slice our menu in half, and we were going to slow our food purchasing by, like, 70%. So we put a huge freeze on ordering anything.”
VO: While supply concerns are a priority for businesses all over town, the primary concern was safety. The safety of their staffs. The safety of consumers. (B-roll: Close up shot of hands being washed. Tight shot of sign indicating that Goosetown is closed.)
Peter Kessler SOT: “Number one priority for us is both the healthy and safety of our guests and our staff. We didn’t want to be in operation or try to do anything without taking care of us. If I got sick, if our general manager got sick, if our head chef got sick, you know, that would really cripple us.”
VO: One thing to look forward to is the return to normalcy in Iowa City. The pandemic has transformed this spring into a time of sheltered reflection and thinking ahead to when businesses can open their doors and watch their customers walk through them once again. This is Rani Simawe, with DITV.
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