McFiler’s part owner Tim Filer shows off the new bar in this file photo.
McFiler's is located at 543 NW Pacific Ave, in Chehalis.
McFiler's is open for take out only in Chehalis.
McFiler's is open from 8-12 p.m. for take out only.
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McFiler’s owner Tim Filer had a customer come in last week who ordered three of the restaurant’s patented cheeseburgers: the peanut butter, the “appetite for destruction” and the blinko. But it’s the final items that caused a shift in reality: three Busch Lights.
Any other time in Filer’s 14 years tending bar, he would crack the beer open and either pour it in a glass or hand over the open can. But for the first time, ever, contrary to everything Filer had been taught, he handed over the unopened Busch Lights as the customer took his bagged items and left the restaurant.
In a state with some of the strictest booze laws, no alcohol other than bottles of wine with the restaurant’s label and kegs can be sold to-go or unopened.
That is, until now.
The Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board allowed licensed restaurants and bars to sell to-go alcohol back in late March to help curb the loss of in-house diners with the current stay-at-home order.
“It’s totally bizarre, man,” Filer said. “I’m handing the guy his food, then I’m handing him his unopened beer. Every fiber of my being is like, ‘This is wrong. I’m not supposed to be doing it like this.’ I’ve been tending bar for 14 years and that’s never been a thing.”
That means full-service restaurants like McFilers can offer curbside pickup of beer in growlers, kegs or sealed bottles and cans, as long as it’s part of a food order. That includes pints and mini bottles of hard liquor. A couple weeks later, cocktail kits were allowed to be sold to-go, as well. So McFiler’s can sell any sealed beer or liquor to-go or for delivery.
McFiler’s now sells kits with gin or whiskey, which comes with, depending on the mix, items such as limes, simple syrup, bitters and other cocktail ingredients. Most of McFiler’s kits are around $7, which is about a dollar or two more than they would be in the bar because of the to-go containers. Filer even has videos on McFiler’s Facebook page that shows how to use the kits.
“We can put together all the things needed for a nice cocktail and you just have to construct it at your home,” Filer said. “You can find a kit and then you can go to our Facebook and I’ll show you how to make it.”
Filer says they plan to expand to fully-made pitcher-sized cocktails and margaritas to-go, where McFiler’s would fill a growler up and the customer would take it home. He hasn’t priced those out yet, but expects the pitcher-sized portions to go for $25 or $30.
McFiler’s, which has been open since Jan. 1, 2019, had just started getting into a groove when the coronavirus outbreak hit the nation. Regulars were coming in at set times and McFiler’s could foresee the dinner and lunch rushes. The stay-at-home order has flipped that upside down, Filer said.
“It’s more unpredictable than anything,” said the 35-year-old Filer, who’s been working in the restaurant industry since he was 21 years old. “It makes it nearly impossible to find any sort of rhythm.”
McFiler’s has had plenty of busy times in the past month, but it’s become difficult to anticipate when the customers will flock in. Sometimes it will be a Wednesday afternoon and other times it will be a Friday evening. Building work schedules for his employees has become a guessing game, making it tough for Filer to know when to put on extra employees and when to go with a skeleton crew.
Sundays and Mondays were usually hit and miss before the coronavirus hit, so he’d cut an employee loose around 6 or 7 p.m. if they hadn’t had any kind of rush. Now, he never knows. He can get a massive dinner rush on a Sunday night and only have one person on shift because he wasn’t anticipating it. All the sudden they’re slammed and they get behind. Other times, he’ll expect customers on a Friday night, put two extra employees on and only get 10 burger orders for the night.
“That’s the most trying and difficult part of the experience,” Filer said. “Just unpredictability.”
McFiler’s did excellent during the beginning of the stay-at-home order as people began buying locally more to support the area businesses.
“I couldn’t be more thankful for the community,” Filer said. “They all reached out. We had a lot of really good days, as far as selling food to-go. Now it’s finally kind of hit the wall.”
He reckons people are finally running out of money or worried the stay-at-home orders may last even longer as business has died down the past couple weeks. And those who have received their stimulus checks are saving them in case the statewide shutdowns are extended past May.
Still, Filer is confident he can keep McFiler’s doors open for the time being through the stay-at-home order that is currently slated until May 4.
“I’m positive we will, it’s just so trying the whole time,” Filer said. “We’re treading water but we can keep this up for the foreseeable future. It’s just so stressful.”
For now, Filer is left waiting for when he can open the dining room back up and allow customers and live bands to flood back in and get the place rocking again.
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Reporter Eric Trent can be reached at etrent@chronline.com. Visit chronline.com/business for more coverage of local businesses.
