The recent flooding has affected restaurants and bars across Vermont. To highlight challenges faced by our licensees, we touched base with Jackie Dickinson from Gusto's in Barre to find out how her business has faired and what the next steps look like.
1: Hi Jackie, could you tell us a little about you and your team?
We are Gusto’s! This little watering hole has been a Barre staple since the 1960s, and we took over ownership in 2018. Our team is a feisty bunch of hardworking individuals that we consider family. They’ve stuck with us through a pandemic, a fire, and now a flood, and we couldn’t make it through without them. We’re so proud of everyone’s ability to adapt, learn, and grow with us through this ever-changing industry. They are the true rockstars and backbone of Gusto’s!
2: Tell us a little bit about your business:
As a restaurant and sports bar, we serve Central VT with a full pub menu, catering, family-friendly hours, event space, nightlife, outdoor dining, live music, arcade & bar games, community fundraising, and so much more!
3: What flood damage did your business have?
We had extensive damage to our backyard dining space including our fence and turf area. Our basement houses all of our vital mechanics so we lost essentially all the large operational items and food supply.
4: What do the next steps look like?
We are incredibly grateful that we’ve been able to reopen after just 2 weeks of closing and repairs. It will take some time to completely return to normal, but we’re hopeful the repairs and renovations will be complete in a few months.
5: Would you like to highlight any individual or organization that’s been helping with cleanup or recovery efforts?
Our staff, family, and friends have stepped up in a huge way to help us recover from this crisis. Special thanks to Jean and Gary Gosselin, the previous owners, for continuing to be our mentors and guiding us through the tough times. We also want to recognize The Barre Partnership, Capstone Community Action, and Barre City for providing us with various resources and support. This is one heck of a community!