WHITEWATER, Wis. — The kitchen at the Black Sheep in Whitewater is like most restaurant kitchens across Wisconsin, a busy place where chefs are constantly working to adapt and keep up with orders. 

For chef and owner Tyler Sailsbery, his experience in the kitchen is a bit of a metaphor for what it has been like to be a business owner in the pandemic. 

“It is being prepared for anything, and the things that don’t go right and I think that is what this year is,” Sailsbery said. “A whole lot of things that didn’t go quite right and we needed to adjust that.”

Sailsbery has worked hard to keep his business afloat. Early on the pandemic he pivoted operations toward carry-out only offerings. He also offered virtual cooking classes and to-go cocktail making kits. While it helped his bottom line, Salisbery says the real profit comes from customers dining in. 

In recent weeks the restaurant has seen an uptick in customers dining in. While it is good financially, it also creates a new challenge as the restaurant has to work overtime to adjust to in person service along with carryout demand remaining high. 

“We are trying to balance, how do we continue to support those takeout customers, now that the restaurant is getting busy? How do we make sure we are making money?” Sailsbery said.

While staff at the Black Sheep are optimistic they will make it through the pandemic, they realize many challenges lie ahead. Sailsbery said like many restaurants, he took on debt during the pandemic in order to adapt to changing customer needs. 

Once the pandemic subsides, he knows more bills will come due. Still, he is looking forward to the future.