Queer-owned restaurant is delivering a side of sickening drag with every order during lockdown
The Dragside Pickup offered by Fiddlehead restaurant is brightening customers’ days during lockdown. (ABC 7)
A queer-owned restaurant has come up with a novel way to draw in customers and stay afloat during the coronavirus lockdown.
While diners are unable to come inside, Fiddlehead Restaurant in Michigan City, Indiana, has enlisted the help of some fabulous drag queens to get food to their devoted customers.
The restaurant runs the “Dragside Pickup” every Saturday. Customers order ahead, either by phone or online, and queens deliver the takeout to their vehicles.
There are strict rules for the Dragside Pickup, including gloves, masks and staying six feet apart for all staff and queens.
The final rule, according to Fiddlehead, is: “Do not be a stick in the mud! This is for fun, this is to put a smile on your face, this is to show that better days are ahead for all of us!
“Be lighthearted and take some pics from the comfort of your car. We are all in this together and we will get through it together!”
One man collecting his food told ABC 7: “We just thought this idea was a fantastic idea, you know, how cool is this when everybody’s sitting inside the house?
“Everybody’s been cooped up, God bless these guys for doing this.”
Fiddlehead owner Aaron O’Reilly said the restaurant was queer-owned and operated, and said: “We thought it would be a good idea to brighten some people’s days, having something that’s a little different and a little fun.
“The community here in Michigan City has been so open and loving… it is really, really heartwarming to see the community step up and come out and have a good time.”
Dragside Pickup is one of many creative ways LGBT+ venues have been keeping afloat.
A gay leather bar in Baltimore, Maryland, has been offering poppers-to-go, cocktails kits and queer face masks for its customers to collect from the curb side.
