KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Granite City Zona Rosa is offering free lunches for students in need.
General Manager, Julian Magennis said the idea came after seeing many of his friends needing help as more schools close amid COVID-19.
"A lot of my friends have kids and they were talking about, 'I'm not going to have childcare,' and, 'I don't know who's going to take care of my kids,' and we were just thinking what could we do to help, and this was something," Magennis said.
Free lunch will include a sandwich, chips and a drink.
Magennis said he's had a few calls from families needing lunches, but he's received more from people wanting to help.
"I've had more calls with people wanting to buy the kids lunch and then donate more money than anything else. They've seen it and people want to help," Magennis said. "I think this shows what this country is really about in times of need. We talk about how we can help, we talk about our similarities and in a crisis I think there’s a little bit of silver lining just to show what the American spirit is like."
While the restaurant is helping others, they're also adjusting after having to close their dining area.
"I have been in the industry for 20 years and I've never seen anything like this," Magennis said. "Today I was getting ready and I was like, 'Am I in a dream? Is this something I need to wake up from?' It's just wild. "
The restaurant and brewery is still open for to go orders and delivery. As of right now, all of their hourly staff are furloughed for the time being.
"So it's only salaried managers working in this building and I think that's one of my biggest thoughts is worrying about my staff and what they're going to do and how long this is going to take," Magennis said.
To learn more about the free lunches or orders, you can call the store at (816) 587-3838.
