Food industry comes back with stronger flavors post-pandemic

BY Nikelle Delgado Kentucky

PUBLISHED 6:00 PM ET Mar. 11, 2025 PUBLISHED 6:00 PM EDT Mar. 11, 2025

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When the COVID-19 pandemic hit five years ago, Miles South was a server at Lou Lou Food and Drink in the Saint Matthews area.

What You Need To Know

Five years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the world

The pandemic forced many restaurants to shut down and come up with other ways to stay in business

APRON INC. gave out more than $400,000 to locally owned restaurants and employees during the pandemic

Now going into its 13th year, APRON INC. has given out more than $1 billion to locally owned restaurants and their employees

He said he remembers that day like it was yesterday.

“We just didn't know what was going on," South said. "We just heard there's this terrible disease spreading around. It's so contagious, and it was just all the uncertainty that led to a lot of fear."

"I didn't know if everybody was going to stay locked in their homes, and nobody [was] going out to restaurants anymore, even to get carry out."

When everything shut down was when APRON INC. stepped in.

The organization provides financial relief to locally owned establishments and their employees experiencing financial distress because of illness, accident, emergency or a catastrophic event through no fault of their own.

“It completely and totally forced us to think outside of the box and to say, 'What can we do? How can we do it?'" said Dan Dry, APRON Inc. board member. "That's how the 'Chef in a Box' came out, giving toys away, gift cards. And we still do the gift cards; we obviously still do 'Chef in a Box.' We are a lifeline for a lot of folks between you having a place to live and not ... it's that simple."

APRON gave out more than $400,000 to locally owned restaurants and employees during the pandemic. While many other restaurants had to close their doors, South said Lou Lou Food and Drink stayed open throughout the pandemic and stayed busy.

“The phone just never stopped ringing," South said. "The parking lot was constantly full of cars, people picking up carryout."

Now the director of operations for multiple restaurants, South said he will never forget working through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It's really important to remember that something like that can happen at any time," South said.“It's really important to remember that something like that can happen at any time," South said. "At the time, it just seemed like, 'No, this can't happen.' Our lives can't change this drastically, this instantly. But I think it's important to remember the things we take for granted."