Owner says health and safety of staff and community is the priority

Information released

Burgers, shakes and fries from the iconic Lakeview Drive-In will discontinue on Tuesday, August 11th. Owner Amy Mack has indicated the decision was based on concerns about the health and safety of her staff and their families, and the overall health of the community. She hopes to reopen in a few weeks. Her letter to the community follows.

Hello friends of the Lakeview,

After long and thoughtful deliberation, I have made a voluntary decision to temporarily close down our little burger shack for a few weeks. We will close this coming Tuesday, August 11th.  I have made this decision based 100% on a desire for the safety of my staff & their families, and the overall health of our community. There is an alarming number of daily increases in positive test results for COVID 19 in Chelan County, and this put together with a larger than usual amount of tourism, is a dangerous combination. We’ve been in a state of ‘reaction’ to this virus since we opened two weeks early in March, now it is time to be ‘proactive’ and get ahead of this. 

So here is what I would like to do. I am heavily encouraging my staff to take time to tune in and take stock of their own health, as well as the health of the people in their household (and the friends that they hang out with) over the next few weeks. I have stayed educated and continue to educate my staff on this virus and pandemic, and am encouraging them to continue to stay informed with the facts from reputable sources. I am asking them to consider quarantining, and if they have any symptoms or feel that they have been exposed to anyone that has tested positive,to please go get tested. If they DO get tested, I am asking them to please do it soon! With testing you have a very specific timeline to follow before being released to work, so the sooner they get tested the more likely we will have a staff and be able to reopen. I’ve asked that they inform me if they get tested. My goal for reopening, if we are all healthy, and if the town feels less populated, would be August 27th.

We DO NOT and HAVE NOT had an outbreak here. In total we have had one person test positive almost one month ago. They have since quarantined and followed protocol to then be released back to work by CVCH. This is a voluntary decision that I am choosing to make, just to be clear. This is not a forced hand, we are not being asked to close or told to by the Department of Health or anyone else.

As a matter of fact, when in contact with the DOH, they have told me that we are doing and have been doing everything right. It is my hope that by exercising my right for a voluntary closure, that we help slow the curve, which is one step towards trying to help us all get back to normal.

I would love for everyone to be able to go back to school the way they intended, I would love for all of the local businesses to be open and thriving like they are used to, and it is my belief that if we do this – we could be doing our part to help make that happen. Many other individuals and organizations will need to also do their part of course, so I have hope that we can help spark a trend. 

I’ve provided my staff with the following resources during this down time for testing and factual/current information.

I will be in contact with my staff throughout the (hopefully) temporary closure. I truly hope that my community can support me in this decision and help me spread the facts of my reasoning/motivation. If we do this right, maybe we can even stay open later this year! Stay tuned and be well! 

Hope to see you soon,

Amy Mack