Image courtesy of Lena's Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap
Lena's team members hard at work during a transition at the Loft at Lena's
When the COVID-19 pandemic began last year, many restaurants found themselves scrambling to adapt their business models. Take-out, outdoor seating, air purifiers and other creative solutions popped up around Alexandria.
At Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap (401 E. Braddock Rd.), the Yates family, who owns the restaurant, and their team took it to the next level – literally, by imaginatively expanding to an unused upstairs space.
As the weather started to turn last winter, the Yates family realized that outdoor seating was not going to be as popular.
“It was going into winter, we had the tent outside, the Oasis, and we had the Beer Garden. It was getting colder. You’re always trying to plan ahead and kind of forecast what you can do. So we had space above the restaurant. It’s a beautiful space up there with kind of a loft, 11 foot ceiling, big expansive windows overlooking the metro. We weren’t really using that, we were always trying to come up with what we could do up there,” explained Jason Yates.
That was when they came up with the idea of creating an “experience” for guests to enjoy — a way they could escape during a time when most of us were stuck at home.
The Lena’s team worked with the REVOLUTION event design team who had helped them design their outdoor dining area, the Oasis, earlier in the pandemic. The result was the Loft at Lena’s – Winter Lodge, an Aspen-lodge inspired immersive dining experience complete with pine trees, snow, twinkling lights and a special menu.
To keep diners safe, they installed state-of-the-art, disinfection technology fans that kill 99.99% of airborne pathogens and kept air circulating regularly.
When spring came, a new experience appeared seemingly overnight. The theme was Full Bloom and featured flowers, ribbons, butterflies and a warm weather menu. Now that it’s summer the loft has once again been transformed into an Oceans 21 theme which transports diners to a beach somewhere in the northeast with plenty of seafood and summer cocktails.
Image courtesy of Lena's Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap
A photo from the current theme at the Loft at Lena's -- Oceans 21
When the theme at the Loft at Lena’s changes for the season, it’s a top to bottom change. New menus are developed, staff don new uniforms and even the lighting is completely redone. The loft closes down on Sunday and is closed for four days before reopening in time for Friday dinner. During that time it’s a 24/7 process that involves the whole team at Lena’s.
“This does take months of planning before we go to shut down and then it’s just basically all hands on deck. The Yates meet with the designer, they go through every piece of the design and then it requires a build out on their end, behind the scenes, before we go to shut down. When [we] say top to bottom, I mean top to bottom,” explained Director of Operations Donna Shore.
The Lena’s team is grateful for the overwhelming support the loft and the restaurant overall has received from the community. The ingenuity of the dining themes and the resulting customer support has allowed the restaurant to continually employ team members during a difficult time for the food industry. “Our core team is fabulous, they have been with us from the beginning and honestly we would not have them if we did not continually pivot and change,” said Shore.
Another loft theme is coming this fall before the Lena’s team will reassess what’s next after collecting customer feedback. While details on the upcoming theme are tightly under wraps, Yates said to follow social media closely and be ready to book reservations right away because they fill up quickly.
Check out some behind the scenes photos from the transitions below.
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Images courtesy of Lena's Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap
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Images courtesy of Lena's Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap
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Images courtesy of Lena's Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap
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Images courtesy of Lena's Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap
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Images courtesy of Lena's Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap
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Images courtesy of Lena's Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap
