Chain reaction: Restaurant’s coronavirus troubles shared by vendors
April 09, 2020
Sleepless nights — not smothered nachos — are the top menu item at Gecko’s Grill and Pubs these days.
That’s a key part of how co-Founder Mike Quillen is approaching the coronavirus pandemic crisis. On a conference call recently with Gecko’s co-Founder Mike Gowan and some other Sarasota-Manatee area business leaders, Quillen asked, tongue-in-cheek, at the end of the call, “So is anyone getting any sleep?” Nervous laughter followed — it’s clear a good night of zzz's has been 86ed.
“This is tragic,” Quillen says. “Every single thing we do right now is to be sure we will be ready to open whenever this thing clears up. That’s the best thing I can do right now is to be there [when this over] for employees.”
