Hello Beloved Community

Hi, My name is Deb Lloyd. I'm posting the Gofundme Fundraiser for The Kitchen. We all want to help and see The Kitchen stay in business. They have been near and dear to our community for many years.

We, like so many other restaurants and businesses, are struggling at this time. It seems to be a theme in Eastsound at the moment. Unfortunately, it's our turn to ask for help with financial support graciously. The last few years have proven to be very challenging, first with the lack of employee housing and available employees, then with the onset of the pandemic, which we were able to stay open mostly. Although slow with business, we continued offering to-go meals and sending some ready-made meals to the Food Bank

This winter topped off our challenges with a severe flood upstairs due to frozen pipes, and we had to close for 10 weeks around Christmas- definitely a hurdle, but it has now been repaired with extensive cost and no income for that time period.

Prune Alley is now torn up and primarily closed, and while we are excited about the town improvements and the future, it comes at an obvious blow to our business. There's very little parking, and accessing our entrance has proven to be a challenge to many. The Kitchen is hidden from patrons that do not know where we are if Prune Alley is closed, and needless to say, sales are not what they once were. We are also concerned going into the summer about the noise disruption and the dust, come drier months when folks like to sit outside (hopefully).

All of this has a clear impact, and after assessing the number, we found that are down 50% on sales from previous years, the worst it's ever been. We have been in business serving and supporting the community for 23 years and it's been the greatest joy to do so, but by far these last two years have proven to be the most challenging and complicated, kinda one thing after another scenario.

At this time we employ 5 people - We can't afford to keep them, and we can't afford to let them go, so we are in a bit of a bind. We are asking for some help during these skinny times, with a pressing need to catch up on a few outstanding bills from our remodel 4 years ago, current?/future payroll expenses til things pick up, income loss from the time we had to be closed due to the flooding, as well as help being able to offer a living wage to potential new hires. We need assistance for some everyday commodities for the restaurant, still need to fix a few plumbing issues, our credit card processor is out of commission, unusable, and needs replacement. We also have a list of basic needs. That will help us accommodate the up-coming tourist season better, like bumping up signage and advertising so people can find us, as well as replacing broken picnic tables with dust covers and some other basic maintenance items to accommodate both customers and staff.

Other ways to support us:) Come in to have a satisfying meal, tell your friends, send us qualified employees, or offer a place to stay for a qualified employee.

We have catering jobs on the horizon and a few promising employees. Charles and I are making income sacrifices by not taking paychecks, but we can only do that for so long. It's never easy to ask for help or admit to defeat. This is definitely a humbling experience.

We truly appreciate all the love and support we have been shown and continue to receive from our small island community.

The Kitchen has been a cornerstone of the community; it has grown and evolved over the years, and we THANK YOU for that. We hope to continue to do so with your support. Spreading the love and sharing the good organic food.

With Gratitude,

Jasmine and Charles