VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A nearly four-decade old Virginia Beach restaurant and neighborhood bar called Mom's Kitchen needs your help.
"My father started this business in 1985. It's been in the family for 35 years," said Lara Rabi.
The business that is full of heart and soul is struggling to put food on the plate. The pandemic is the new unwanted item on the menu.
"It's lunch hour, and there is no one in here," said Rabi.
The homemade delights for breakfast, lunch and dinner aren't crowding the kitchen line as of late.
"Also, closing at 10 p.m. has really hurt our bar business because we do live music," she said.
The family also owns the bar next door. It's called Scandals, and there, too, the seats are empty and the stage lights are off.
"It is very tough. One thing that has helped us is Queen machines, skilled gaming machines. People play and eat lunch," Rabi stated.
The owners of both establishments said the rent for both places is around $8,000 a month. That’s hard to meet when you're only making $300 in food sales a day.
"It has been really, really hard," said Rabi.
But the Rabi family is holding strong, and they plan to stick together in hopes this unwelcome patron known as the pandemic will pass.
"We are a strong family. We all work together, and we will see what happens," she said.
Mom's Kitchen and Scandals is located at 3501 Holland Road. Click here for more information from their Facebook.
