'Two Broke Bartenders and a Truck' expands to Chattanooga, helps locals

'Two Broke Bartenders and a Truck' expands to Chattanooga, helps locals impacted by coronavirus closures

Covid-19 takes a toll on the service industry.

It has left many out of work and is sending jobless claims soaring in tennessee.

My co-anchor dorothy sherman is reporting remotely this week.

She explains how one start-up business is expanding into chattanooga and hopes to put people back to work.

It's a business that started in memphis by some restaurant owners.

Two broke bartenders dispatcher lauren cooley: "after covid and everything they were forced to shutdown so they came up with another business model just about getting like all of their team members active and what can they do now."

So they started two broke bartenders.

It's an online platform that links up people with services like grocery pickup and yard work.

And it provides jobs to folks in the service industry who may have recently lost theirs.

Two broke bartenders dispatcher lauren cooley: "i think this concept is good because you're still able to kind of able to give back to people and get that sense that you had working in the restaurant and taking care of your guests in some way."

Two broke bartenders dispatcher lauren cooley says she was directly affected by mandated coronavirus closures.

Not only was she laid off, but so was her husband and many of their friends.

Two broke bartenders dispatcher lauren cooley: "kind of the shock of nobody was expecting it you know kind of sank in and not having any other source of income because typically if you're a server you'll go to another serving job, you know, but now you don't even have that choice.

So, i think it's a lot of well what can i do now."

Cooley says that two broke bartenders has brought excitement for people ready to get back to work.

She says they've rounded up to do the jobs, 15 local workers including bartenders.

Two broke bartenders dispatcher lauren cooley: "from local restaurants like stir, universal joint, cbc chattanooga billiards club and servers and even some managers signed up from big river and pucketts."

Dorothy sherman "they're working on launching an app and hope to start providing services to people in chattanooga on monday.

We have their number and a list of services on our website, wdef-dot-com.

Cooley also says the services are not limited, they're open to suggestions to meet people's needs.

In chattanooga, dorothy sherman, news 12