Should this Kansas diner a) reopen or b) keep feeding the hungry?
Restaurant owners are forced to make unprecedented decisions during the pandemic. Should they open for take-out? Expand outdoor dining? Reduce hours? Close permanently? For Meg Heriford, owner of Ladybird Diner in Lawrence, Kansas, the decision is layered. When her diner closed its doors to patrons in March, Heriford began handing out free lunches to the growing homeless population in Lawrence. The operation has grown since; they’re feeding 200 people each day with support from community donations. But now Heriford reckons with another decision: Will she ever reopen the bustling diner that once was, and if she does, who will continue to feed the neighborhood? The Washington Post has the story.
