Weeks into spring, the traditions of the season ― for the most part ― have eluded us. Pandemics do a very good job of making you forget about a lot of things. For many, sitting on a restaurant patio or grabbing a bite at a neighborhood spot is one thing our muscle memory is slowly forgetting. However, our minds are still yearning for such a moment.
While enjoying our food with a dose of nature’s beauty seems like a concept in the distant future, Olivia Genthe of Fount Board and Table on Routh Street is focused on serving beauty in the midst of an ugly situation.
Genthe and her husband, Ryan, opened the quaint space, which was formerly Crooked Tree Coffeehouse, just months before dining rooms were closed because of the coronavirus. While the restaurant serves everything from teas to sandwiches to boards, it’s catering that supports a big part of their business.
“This is wedding season for us,” Genthe says. “We lost a lot of money. The restaurant is kind of like a side hustle.”
Like many, Genthe had to think fast, not only shifting the way she got food to her customers but the kind of food as well.
“We are offering a full menu, but our menu is much more curated,” Genthe says. “It’s things that we get excited about and are comforting to us. I think that is something we knew we needed to do. That first week, everybody’s pantries were full, and everybody was scared and nobody was really ordering at all. It’s gotten better progressively over time.”
In addition to boards, Fount offers items like garden toast, picnic dip, loose-leaf teas, and even bagels and breakfast tacos to go. It was also important for Genthe to add groceries to the equation. So she teamed up with Elizabeth Dry of Promise of Peace Gardens to sell produce as well.
“People are finding it incredibly valuable now,” Genthe says. “It was important to support these local farms. ... People will pick up orders when they’re walking their dog and getting out of the house a little bit. And they’re very supportive. I’m really thankful to be in this neighborhood.”
And the good karma is having a boomerang effect, from Zoom happy hours with boards at the forefront to customers buying boards for special occasions. “We’ve become like a gift thing, or a date night thing, which is really fun,” Genthe says. “It’s a way for people to still connect with their families or send gifts.”
Fount’s to-go/delivery pivot has also connected the dots for business plans post-pandemic. “This has kind of been a blessing to us because it’s generating a revenue stream that we had, but wasn’t strong,” Genthe says. “When we come back full force, there’ll be something there that wasn’t before.”
Revenue aside, Genthe says safety is the No. 1 concern right now, from the amount of restaurant staff on hand (right now it’s just her and her husband) to not letting customers inside.
“Something Ryan and I talked about often is at what cost are we staying open," Genthe says. “If we can create some kind of value, or normalcy, or joy for people, then we have to continue doing that.”
Fount Board and Table is located at 2414 Routh Street, Dallas. 214-699-7455. Order online for pickup or delivery at fountdallas.com.