Mainstreet Daily News, in a collaboration with Noel Leroux, founder of Gainesville Downtown, is spotlighting downtown businesses to learn how each one is coping with the ever-evolving COVID-19 situation.
There’s no better-known intersection in downtown Gainesville than University and Main. It’s no wonder that Cry Baby’s Gainesville, located on that corner, has been a success with college students and locals since opening last May.
A couple of weeks ago, however, owners Kyle Spor and Grace Glennon put away the bar stools, cut back hours and converted to take-out food (and drink) due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s as good as it can be,” said Tom Stowell, who was processing customers’ orders on Wednesday night as Sheldon Seraphin ran the kitchen a few feet away. “We’re relatively busy, relatively steady and a little clunky,” said Stowell, majoring in electrical engineering at UF.
Cry Baby’s new takeout hours are Monday through Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Customers can also order by phone at 352.505.5026 or through 352delivery.com. The menu includes burgers, sandwiches and tacos as well as 17-ounce (double serving) cocktails to-go and a selection of beers and wines. Stowell, who was a bartender when Cry Baby’s operated as a bar, said take-out windows could become the new norm.
“This might become part of the post-coronavirus business.”
Noel Leroux is the publisher of gainesvilledowntown.com, a website dedicated to covering all things downtown. His mission is to inform, entertain and engage readers with compelling articles about arts, entertainment, and the foodie scene in Gainesville.