VIENNA, Ga. — Els Rombaut and her husband came over from Belgium to start a bed and breakfast in Vienna called Fruits of Vienna. She is watching every customer that comes through the door because of COVID-19, and the government made her change her business game plan this year.
"We make healthy food -- it's always made from scratch," Els said.
Els loves to pamper her guests at the bed and breakfast with her scrumptious meals, but after renovating the house that was built in 1911, the Rombauts still had a problem.
Vienna is a small town, and the house sits on the Georgia Grown Trail 41, but the Department of State said if the immigrants want to stay, the business had to become more profitable.
"We got just one year," Els said.
They were facing that problem when COVID-19 hit this past spring.
"Yeah, that was a disaster. I was really crying -- first, we have to close first half of March," she recalled.
She needed an idea, so she turned to her skills in the kitchen and expanded her service to help folks out in a pandemic.
"I'm kind of a doer, so I thought if I could do lunches and dinners for takeout, that will work probably because people are in need for food always," she chuckled.
Food with a fine dining touch went out the door.
She even gave people pickup times so they could socially distance.
"Nobody had to touch anybody or to see anybody, and I handed out in the driveway in the front," Els explained.
Els said the takeout slowed down a bit once restaurants began to open, but they did make it through the pandemic.
As for their final numbers, they'll need customers booking 250 nights in one of their rooms and about 30 dining guests a week.
The hostess figures they can do it.
"I know how to proceed. I know how to reach my goal, so I will get it," she said confidently. "Deep, deep down, you will always find a way to crawl and go up and be creative -- it's the only way to survive."
The Fruits of Vienna bed and breakfast also received a Trip Advisor award last year, and that was, in part based, on reviews.
Els says they also offer cooking classes and reservations for private meals.