ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — A Rock Island restaurant is adapting to try to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
Igor's Bistro opened earlier than usual on Tuesday, Dec. 29. Cars were lining up in their drive-thru off 38th Street next to Saukie Golf Course for breakfast.
"We're just trying to stay alive in this COVID thing," owner Rick Lopez says. "So we had to switch our business plan to more of a drive-thru so we're trying the early morning stuff. The food's still great. Food's still freshly made and we have some specialty drinks."
Besides opening early, Igor's is now offering mochas, lattes and energy drinks. Customers can also grab a quick breakfast sandwich or burrito on their way to work now, too.
Lopez says he hopes this will all bring in more business.
"It's just tough, tough, tough," he says. "We're barely hanging on. But you gotta keep moving and try something different to see if you can save your business until we get on the other side of this."
Lopez says he's lost 75 percent of his business since the pandemic started this spring and as a result had to let go three of his seven employees.
Now he's hoping to tap into a new niche to survive both the winter and the coronavirus pandemic.