Mossyrock's Pioneer Bar and Grill, Run-a-Muck Mercantile Still Offer Affordable Fare in Midst of Crisis

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Editor’s Note: The Chronicle is working to assist local businesses suffering from the effects of the COVID-19 virus spread and associated government orders to close or limit commerce. There will be a feature on a local business in each edition of The Chronicle and at chronline.com moving forward. To be considered, email reporter Eric Trent at etrent@chronline.com. Additionally, The Chronicle will continue to offer its coverage of the coronavirus and its effects across the community, state and nation free outside of our paywall at chronline.com.

 

MOSSYROCK — For Mossyrock business owner Georgia Weigant, running and helping run small businesses is all she’s ever known. She began working at the Pioneer Bar and Grill in Mossyrock ever since her family started it in 1973. She eventually bought it in the 1990s.

“It’s the only job I’ve ever had,” Weigant said. 

But she’s never seen business anything like it currently is with the coronavirus outbreak and restaurant restrictions. She never imagined anything like this would even happen. Who would?

“Never really thought about it before, not when they’re telling you where you can go, what you can do and who you can see,” Weigant said. “We all know to keep our hands clean and don’t touch your face. I’ve been at the bar and grill 50 years and I’ve never had anybody sick. Thank God we’re in a little town where you’re not seeing it like you do in the city.”

Nevertheless, the pandemic has had a rippling effect on her business. Weigant used to open at 6 a.m. and offer $3 breakfasts. The hamburger patties for some of the burgers she makes now cost $2 just for the patty. It’s forced her to raise prices in order to counter the food costs.

Still, the restaurant is able to offer extremely-affordable options that are among some of the best deals in the county. The bar and grill’s most popular items are its burgers, sandwiches and soups, and it runs daily specials. A deluxe burger with fries goes for $5.50, while a mushroom swiss burger sells for $7.50. Customers can get fish, fries and chowder for just $11.95 and a Philly cheesesteak can be had for $7.

“I absorb the food costs all the time, just like with the beer, I absorb it a lot,” Weigant. “You just can’t nickel and dime everybody. I look at things and say, ‘Hey, do I mind paying that?’ I just try to keep my prices down.”

Weigant also has some of the cheapest fishing tackle around, as well. She opened the Run-a-Muck Mercantile three years ago, located just across East State Street from her bar and grill.

Most of her customers at the store and bar have been incoming fishermen traveling into town to try their luck at hooking some of the more than 400,000 triploid rainbow trout that were released into Riffe Lake in April. Riffe Lake reopened for fishing on May 5 after two months of statewide fishing closures due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. 



“With fishing opened up I was able to start selling some tackle,” Weigant said. “That’s helped. But my business across the street is almost nil. Before I was robbing Peter to pay Paul, now I’m robbing Paul to pay Peter. Just trying to keep them both going.”

Locals haven’t been filling up the seats inside the bar and grill like Weigant had hoped when Lewis County moved into phase two of the state’s four-phase reopening plan on May 22. The phase allows county businesses to allow customers to dine in with 50 percent or less capacity and table groups of five or fewer people. 

But the customers just haven’t been coming, Weigant said. And the ones that have been are either ordering to-go or eating at one of the outdoor tables on the porch.

Weigant is also struggling to find employees to work, she said, because potential employees are making more money on unemployment.

“So we’re just kind of going with the flow,” Weigant said. “Just trying to make it all work.”

It’s a situation that has put an added workload on Weigant, who spends a couple hours a day at the bar and grill and about 10 hours a day at the store, which is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Weigant owns a few rentals around town, which has helped keep her businesses afloat. Most of that income is just being poured back into her businesses. No matter what happens, Weigant said, she’s not closing her doors for anything.

“I’m going to keep my business open,” Weigant said. “I’m not a quitter. At least I’ve got a little other income coming in. I’m not driving a new car or anything, I’m just trying to make it all work.”

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Reporter Eric Trent can be reached at etrent@chronline.com. Visit chronline.com/business for more coverage of local businesses.