Businesses work to adjust; Noisy Goose among Valley restaurants offering curbside service to stay open and continuing serving their customers

WASILLA — After a week of closure, one of Palmer’s most iconic restaurants is back open.

The Noisy Goose Cafe reopened their doors for curbside service in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. They’re currently offering a limited menu with limited hours for pick up orders only in an attempt to make enough money to pay the utilities, according to owner Glenda Nafus.

“I don’t know even what to expect,” Nafus said.

The Noisy Goose is one of many Valley eateries left with a big decision after state officials announced a mandate which orders that restaurants and bars statewide will be closed to in-house dining. State officials extended that mandate Wednesday until further notice. That means restaurants can only offer delivery or curbside service to stay open.

Nafus said they have to operate with bare minimum staff, working with just three people out of 33 during this time.

“We’re not just a fast food place,” Nafus said. “We still do our homestyle cooking, everything is made to order, it’s not premade.”

Nafus said that while their menu is limited, it’s diverse enough to avoid being “boring.” She said it’s been a challenge adjusting, but she thinks they’re making it work so far.

“As long as I keep the three people we have and keep working what we did last week, we’ll probably make enough money after paying everybody and the food to pay our utilities,” Nafus said with a laugh. “We aren’t making money as far as ‘making money’ but if we can pay our utilities and pay our insurance, I’m happy.”

The Noisy Goose has a countless array of regulars from the community. Nafus said that prior to the outbreak, it was common to see a number of regulars who come not just on a weekly basis or even daily basis, but twice a day.

“We’ve got a lot of really really loyal customers,” Nafus said.

A lot of loyal customers are showing their support by purchasing meals from the cafe on a regular basis, according to Nafus. She said some of them are purchasing dinner “every single night.”

“We have a tremendous amount of support. That is really encouraging,” Nafus said. “We have a strong business, probably one of the very best businesses in the Valley, you know, until all this hit. It just kind of knocks the socks off you but that’s okay. We’ll make it through. Staying positive. Staying positive, that’s all we can do.”

So far, the night hours are busier than the day, according to Nafus. She said that people can check their limited hours and menu on their Facebook page. They post updates regularly.

For more information, call Noisy Goose at 907-746-4600, search them on Facebook, or follow this link: facebook.com/Colony-Kitchen-Noisy-Goose-Cafe-355518822880

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann. Support local journalism. By subscribing you help local journalism continue to thrive. For our latest digital subscription information, see frontiersman.com/site/forms/subscription_services/