Lena Brown | Chef owner, Betty’s Bomb Ass Burgers & Catering

Shutdown of restaurant dine-in service, coupled with the almost absolute state-wide cancellation of events requiring congregation of groups larger than ten people is without a doubt economically devastating. The loss of revenue is seemingly incalculable. For traditional food service establishments, adaptation has meant pivoting to carry-out or delivery service. But, for non-traditional business that rely upon seasonal events – especially in a state that sees all four seasons when Spring and Summer typically generate revenue to carry the operators and owners through an entire fiscal year, the fallout from #COVID19 has been absolutely devastating.

Enter Lena Brown, owner of Betty’s Bomb Ass Burgers Food Truck and Catering. Lena has been a well-respected culinary professional for over 20 years, working throughout Northeast Ohio. The food truck is her lifeline. It’s everything to her, and her 7-year-old daughter, Olive.

“It’s an absolute adjustment,” said Lena, during an interview recently from the Hildebrandt Building, in Cleveland – a space shared by multiple food trucks and other creatives alike. Lena is also accustomed to taking advantage of shared commissary space to prep food for service beyond the constraints of the food truck. But, with so many cancellations – 20 weddings rescheduled for next year, she’s left wondering where and how the revenue will be generated.

Preparation for a highly abridged Summer of 2020 has meant adjustment of operations.

“Just taking orders now is an online process. They go through our website. You don’t talk to anybody. So, it’s taken the personal aspect of the truck … away (sic), I guess. It’s sad. It’s really sad. Hopefully it [shutdown] won’t be forever. Hopefully, it will be this year, you know?”