Siouxland Magazine - Volume 2 Issue 5

have fun
entertainment
culture
gather
relax
Others took the initiative to remain open, but on a lesser
basis: Sneaky’s Chicken, who’s owner Dave Ferris was
mentioned and praised by Governor Kim Reynolds
during her May 12th press conference, reduced hours
and occasionally closed to adjust to the low volume.
“The last three months, without a doubt, have been the
most difficult of times I have endured in 45 years of being
in business!” exclaimed Ferris, who noted that Sneaky’s
Chicken’s adjustments were out of concern for the health
security of his valued customers.
Many eateries took the time close, take stock, and
accomplish other goals: The Golden Pheasant in
Remsen took time to continue to spruce up their
location, including reupholstering their booths. “When
the shutdown first happened, we had to change up our
operation to accommodate to-go orders. We have always
offered to-go, but not to this volume...we were able to
get a lot of things done that we were not able to do when
we first bought the place. We finished repainting the
dining rooms and even remodeled the bar,” said Golden
Pheasant owner Tom Ahlers.
Navarette’s on Highway 75 took time to conduct a deep
clean, and repaint areas. They continued to sell carryout
and “take and bake” platters, and were slow to reopen
widely out of abundance of caution for their employees.
Users of social media also rallied to patronize their
favorite restaurants to help them stay afloat during the
uncertain times: “Siouxland Local Eats is a Facebook
group designed to highlight local food in the Sioux
City area. Originally created to help restaurants survive
during the COVID-19 pandemic, Siouxland Local Eats
continues to serve as a place of discovery for those
looking for great local food and beverage options!”
said Andy Boesch in the description of Siouxland Local
Eats, as Administrator of a group boasting 23,579
members. Boesch added “I definitely would give credit
to our community! We provided a way to support local
restaurants and everyone showed up big time! (We)
couldn’t have done it without everyone posting, sharing,
and most of all being intentional about supporting local.”
To continue the theme of “taking stock” and changing,
this will be my final regular feature for Siouxland
Magazine’s cuisine section. The opportunity to eat my
way across the region granted to me by owner/editor
Stacie Anderson (and previously by Susan Fey and Becca
Feauto) has been spectacular! I’ve had the privilege to
draft more than 20 articles about area titans (like Sneaky’s
Chicken and SoHo) and others that I desperately wish had
hung on (such as House of Q and Charlie’s). Siouxland
Magazine is as robust as ever, and I’m grateful to have
had a small role for the past 10 years and look forward to
its promising future!
Kolby Dewitt, writer for Siouxland Magazine since 2010,
who enjoys the delicious perks of writing about local food.
Photos Contributed By Individual Restaurants.