Crave Montco Month Helping Get Customers Back To Restaurants Rebounding After COVID Closures
POTTSTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Thursday marks the start of Crave Montco Month. It's 31 days of deals and promotions to help get customers back to local restaurants and breweries still very much working to rebound after COVID closures. One husband and wife team is beating the odds.
Inside Pottstown's Welcome to the Avenue Jamaican restaurant along High Street, chef Kwane Haywood is cooking up American favorites infused with the vibrant flavors of the Caribbean, like the sweet and tangy tamarind glazed wings, an homage to his home on the island of St. Vincent.
The chef shared his secret and his secret ingredient, his co-owner and wife, Akiai Worthington.
"You have to love what you do," he said. "I learn from her, she learn from me."
Most of the time she handles the books while he cooks, and she says COVID has tested them both personally and professionally.
"Mayhem, it was just upside down," Worthington said.
The pair drained their savings to keep the doors open, and many times worked alone after losing their staff at the start of the pandemic.
"We were like 'how are we going to make this work? What are we going to do?'" Worthington said.
But together, they survived and now are hoping the community, and events like Crave Montco Month help bring customers back.
"We specifically picked July because, for restaurants, it's typically a slower time with folks going on vacation, trips, down the shore," an official said.
"It's your neighbors, it's your community so you sort of feel like whatever you can do to help each other out," customer Jennifer White said.
And if food is love, this culinary couple is happy to share their table with you very soon.
Click to learn more about Welcome to the Avenue and Crave Montco Month.
CBS3's Alicia Roberts reports.