Lynn Day, the director of operations at The Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey, said the last few months have forced them to “adapt and overcome, not sit back and wait to see what happens.”
One of the best-known producers of wine, beer and cider in central Pennsylvania, it had to switch gears when the coronavirus guidelines forced the closure of the tasting room and all of its events in mid-March.
That will start to change today, as The Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey will be one of many beverage producers across the central and eastern parts of the state to open for business, albeit outdoors. Social distancing will be required, so seating for tonight’s first “Decked Out Live” of the season will be more spread out, and those attending are being asked to bring along lawn chairs and blankets and find a comfortable place not too close to another party to enjoy the concert. The concert will run from 7 to 10 p.m.
While one of the producer’s signature events is just getting rolling, Day said it plans to continue the neighborhood popups that have become part of the routine since April 9. The Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey has been teaming up with food trucks such as Get Smoked, Potato Coop and Mad Dash and hitting neighborhoods all over central Pennsylvania, usually during the dinner hour.
Families, she said, have welcomed the chance to step out the door and purchase food and a bottle of wine or beer and not have to “worry about cooking or dishes or anything of the sort,” she said. Slushies have been added to the beverage menu for the past several weeks. “They were super happy a small business was coming to them and they could help to support [it]. And I can’t even begin to tell you how many people we got in front of that we never would have gotten in front of before because we might be just a little bit too far away or they still haven’t heard of us even after eight years. We got in front of a lot of new faces, just by doing this.”
This loose marriage of food trucks and beverage makers has grown organically, with awareness spreading via social media and word of mouth. Neighborhoods are finding trucks and beverage providers and arranging a date, usually on a weekday, with both setting up in a driveway or another convenient spot.
Mike Weierbach, who runs GET Smok’d BBQ food truck with wife Erin, said they’ve been pushing to get into new neighborhoods and, until today, hadn’t gone back to one they had previously visited.
He’s booked through August, he said, and other trucks he knows are booked into October. “I didn’t book that far just for the fact that I’m hoping everything opens back up,” he said, “and we have events [again].” For now, he’ll keep working to shorten a 20-neighborhood waiting list.
And if he’s booked up, he said, he’ll pass along the names of other trucks. “We’re all trying to support each other as much as possible. Everyone is trying to figure this out; how to do things these days.
It was a year that he and his wife thought they had all arranged, committed to a number of big events. “I figured it would give me a chance to stay home with my son and family, do things together,” he said. “Well, that changed.
Erin and Mike Weierbach, owners of Get Smok'd BBQ, thought they had their 2020 schedule all figured out, giving them plenty of time to enjoy their young son. But the pandemic and subsequent postponement of all events have forced them to switch gears. Part of that has been a series of neighborhood popups.
“The neighborhoods are very supportive,” he said of the popups, "and the biggest thing is that we’re going to places where people don’t normally get to experience our truck. With these new connections, he said, “I’m hoping it will help us in the future.”
Still, for now, this is a bridge to better things, not a new norm. “It has been difficult,” he said. “Nothing like last year. Business is down around 50 percent, to be honest with you.”
Day agreed with the adaptation mode that this memorable spring has required. “It wasn’t a total bloodshed for the last two or three months,” she said. “We had some revenue coming in, so it wasn’t as bad for us as for others who don’t have the capabilities that we do.”
In addition to the popups, The Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey has sold curbside at the winery and started to deliver locally. As of tonight, the outdoor seating opens back up.
“It’s nothing near what our normal summer would be,” she said. “It’s been tough. But we’re making the best of it.”
Other recent regional wine stories on PennLive
East Coast wineries planted a mix of vines this spring, from Chardonnay to Petit Verdot
Nissley Vineyards cancels region’s oldest summer concert series
One of Pa.’s two oldest wineries continues to evolve while keeping its long-time customers happy
Briar Valley Winery sold to owners of a Westmoreland County producer
Berks County winery managing the present as best it can while preparing to plant for the future
Many Pa. wineries reopening Friday, joining others around the mid-Atlantic
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