The past week has been a difficult time for restaurants in Warren County, after a countywide order closing dining rooms to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The order issued by the Warren County Commission March 18 forbids on-premises consumption of food, but encourages drive-thru, pickup and delivery services to continue. It will remain in eff ect until April 17.

In the wake of that order, locally owned restaurants are trying to navigate an uncertain future. Some have significantly reduced their hours, while others have closed altogether for the duration of the shutdown.

Julie Brookman, co-owner of Olivers Restaurant in Warrenton, said up to 80 percent of their business has been impacted. The restaurant is off ering carryout and curbside pickup for lunch and dinner, but Brookman said they’ll have to reevaluate their situation after this week.

Other than herself and her husband, Brookman said they were forced to lay off all but one of their staff members. They’re doing what they can to adapt and keep the business going while being as conservative as possible.

“Friday we are going to off er a drive-thru fish fry special,” Brookman said, in the hopes of filling in for churches that have closed their own fish fries. “As long as all goes well, we will continue and do that next Friday for the last week of Lent.”

Brookman said she’s thankful for the community members who have supported Olivers, and has tried to support other businesses in turn.

“We shop locally as much as we can,” she commented.

To stay afl oat past the next couple weeks, Brookman said Olivers is considering a newly announced emergency loan program from the federal government. But she doesn’t yet have enough information about how much is available and what the requirements will be.

Many other restaurants face similarly difficult decisions. In a message sent to customers through Facebook, Railhouse Pub in Wright City said it’s reducing business hours to Thursday through Saturday only, 4-8 p.m. The pub is offering curbside pickup.

“This has been an emotional week,” the pub’s owners wrote. “We want to keep our family and yours safe during this crisis.”

In contrast, a few restaurants that relied less on in-person dining have maintained steady business. Maria Beyer, co-owner of Papu’s Cuban Cafe in downtown Warrenton, said she’s using that good fortune to help benefit the community.

Beyer said she is usingspare income from the cafe to buy household supplies for people in need, and is also collecting donated items.

“It’s our responsibility. The community has supported us. They come in, they buy food, they dine in when we’re OK. Right now, it’s so important to give back,” Beyer said.

To help people who’ve had a hard time finding food at the grocery store, Beyer said Papu’s will also be selling raw food thanks to a statewide directive from Governor Mike Parson. Papu’s is taking a chance on that need, and significantly increased the size of its supply order this week, Beyer said.

“The most important thing is that we pull together. I have resources, I want to help people, because Warrenton has been so good to us,” she added.