"The respect, hard work and deep care of our staff who showed up to work every day and masked and double masked for eight- hour shifts over hot stoves to prepare food for others ... was deeply moving."
Flea Street Cafe,
Best Place for a Date, Romantic Restaurant

"Knowing that by providing non-contact delivery of our food, we were helping to protect vulnerable people in our community."
Amici's East Coast Pizzeria,
Best Pizza

"What inspired us most was the outpouring of support we received from our clients. The kind words and donations really lifted our spirits and gave us hope during periods of uncertainty."
Olive Hill Salon,
Best Hair Salon

"Watching the restaurant industry innovate to ensure the safety of employees and patrons was fascinating. We saw things like outdoor seating, new point-of-service systems to accommodate touchless payment, curbside pickup and delivery orders, digital gift cards, plastic barriers, evolving masks and other innovations."
Dutch Goose,
Best Hamburgers, Happy Hour

"Our trainers were absolutely incredible in pivoting with us during the entire year. We couldn’t have survived without their positive spirit and work ethic. We are also eternally grateful to the landlords of Marsh Manor Plaza who were accommodating to our outdoor setup all while extending rent reduction during the most difficult months. When fire season hit, we were left many times having to cancel our outdoor workouts due to the poor air quality. During the toughest of days, we were fueled by the fact that many of our members and staff believed in us."
Studio K-Fit,
Best Gym, Fitness Classes

"Clients who kept wishing us well, reassured us that they are waiting for our return to business and reminded us of the importance of our service and the community we have created."
LaBelle Day Spas & Salons,
Best Day Spa

"Our community rallied around us. We are so grateful. Some customers bought shoes for the next three years. The owner’s childhood friend purchased shoes as Christmas gifts for his entire staff. Our employees rolled with changing regulations. We feared we were going to have to close and we were lifted up by so many — we can’t say enough in gratitude."
Fleet Feet,
Best Place to Buy Shoes

"We had a family approach us about planting a succulent garden in front of our store. Since people could only look through our front window, this family thought the plant bed could use some sprucing up. They asked for donated cuttings and some extra hands from their neighbors and came one morning and completely transformed the plant bed into a beautiful garden. We were incredibly touched by their thoughtfulness and generosity."
Cheeky Monkey Toys,
Best Specialty Store

"As a result of the pandemic, we had the opportunity to build a beautiful outdoor dining room that we may not have invested in previously. The outdoor dining has sparked a bit of a revival in downtown Menlo Park that our customers are really enjoying. The addition of live music several nights a week and a beer garden wasn’t our original vision, but it’s wonderful to be able to think outside the box. The community has been very receptive to all of our new additions, and we hope to do even more in the future."
Bistro Vida,
Best French Restaurant

"We fixed a very dysfunctional and unequal pay disparity of the restaurant business: We now share evenly among every hourly employee the “gratitude” (aka, service charge) added in lieu of tipping to each meal. Prior to COVID-19, the kitchen and service staff were not rewarded with tips left by guests. Now they are. We call the new program Heart of House. It has created fairness, justice and mutual respect among the team."
Flea Street Cafe,
Best Place for a Date, Romantic Restaurant

"We are now offering home pickup and delivery, bundle drop-offs during off hours and are making continuous upgrades to our website (laderacleaners.net)."
Ladera Cleaners,
Best Dry Cleaners

"Before the pandemic, less than 5% of our sales were online. During the lockdown, we added products to our website and promoted same-day local deliveries. Even though our store is now fully open, our web sales to local customers have become a larger part of our business."
Cheeky Monkey Toys,
Best Specialty Store

"We developed group workouts specific to higher-risk clients (60+) where they worked out with people who were in their ‘bubble.’ We also developed a cleaning routine where all members participate in helping maintain equipment and studio extra clean. That is something we will carry with us going forward."
Studio K-Fit,
Best Gym, Fitness Classes

"Although our retail doors were closed during the lockdown, our interior design staff continued to work remotely with clients as much as possible. Our interior design business has continued to grow exponentially, and we see it becoming a larger part of our business model moving forward."
Harvest Furniture,
Best Home Decor and Furnishings

"We offered consultations and shoe fittings over Zoom and we will continue to offer this for customers who for whatever reason can’t come into the store during business hours. We also started delivering locally with our Fleet Feet camper van, and that will continue, too."
Fleet Feet,
Best Place to Buy Shoes

"We’re now offering curbside service, delivery and touchless payment."
Bow Wow Meow,
Best Pet Store

"Our team’s work during the pandemic sparked many innovations that have already been tested and supported by our community, and we hope to keep many of them going. These include: an open-air bookstore in our outdoor plaza (subject to ongoing landlord approval); investing in our website, web sales and marketing; high-quality virtual events; Community Reads program; membership program; partnership with Menlo Park Library; and decision-making processes that prioritize staff inclusion and participation. Our team has learned many new skills and developed new competencies, and we hope to continue leveraging these in the future."
Kepler's Books & Magazines,
Best Bookstore

"Be patient. Even though we all want things to be normal and we can start acting like they are, it’s a new normal and there are still supply chain issues. It’ll take awhile for local businesses to recover everything that the public doesn’t see."
Peabody Gallery and Custom Framing,
Best Frame Store/Art Gallery

"Supporting local businesses is vital to their survival. Some may have weathered the pandemic, but the financial losses are still affecting so many, and they need the community’s support to survive. Kindness and respect for the people who are tirelessly working to run small businesses is also something everyone should be conscious of."
Bistro Vida,
Best French Restaurant

"Transition is tricky. We are all adjusting."
Fleet Feet,
Best Place to Buy Shoes

"Just because businesses have reopened, it doesn’t necessarily mean they have picked up exactly where they left off. We continue to face challenges and appreciate your patience and support as many of us are in the process of rebuilding our businesses."
Olive Hill Salon,
Best Hair Salon

"The people in service to care for you are trying very hard. Most worked while others sheltered. Acknowledge them."
Flea Street,
Best Place for a Date, Romantic Restaurant

"Behind every small business, there is a family that is going above and beyond, often working seven days a week in order to ensure a safe and comfortable environment for all its patrons."
Studio K-Fit,
Best Gym, Fitness Classes

"Be patient with the restaurant industry, we’re still not firing on all cylinders. Even though our doors are open, we still face a myriad of challenges from food cost increases, labor shortages, paying down credit lines, training new staff and more."
Dutch Goose,
Best Hamburgers, Happy Hour

"The bicycle industry saw a worldwide spike in demand in 2020 that has been sustained into 2021, creating huge supply chain issues. Demand is still high and supply is still low, and it is forecasted to stay this way until the end of 2022. The challenge today is getting bikes and parts. The other challenge is to reopen the shop in such a way that we all stay healthy."
Menlo Velo Bikes,
Best Bicycle Shop

"Business is improving, albeit it is slow."
Ladera Cleaners,
Best Dry Cleaners

"In 2021, we’re no longer gripped by fear. We’re starting to figure out how to live with this, and it’s encouraging to see the world starting up again."
Peabody Gallery and Custom Framing,
Best Frame Store/Art Gallery

"Full of silver linings. We kept 14 of our 26 staff employed. We ended 2020 having sent 29,000 meals through Meals of Gratitude to health care workers and fire evacuees. Our new Heart of House program has created a truly wonderful work environment that will continue forever. We have learned how to pivot, be inventive and feel humbling gratitude for each other and our community who saved us and helped us survive."
Flea Street Cafe,
Best Place for a Date, Romantic Restaurant

"This year feels like an exhale of breath, whereas 2020 felt like we were holding our breath. Hope has replaced fear, and the future looks bright. It feels great to see members who hadn’t been to the studio in over a year."
Studio K-Fit,
Best Gym, Fitness Classes

"Better but still full of challenges and stress."
Bow Wow Meow,
Best Pet Store

"Sales are up 100% this year. ... We were closed for roughly nine months in 2020."
Dutch Goose,
Best Hamburgers, Happy Hour

"This year has been much better as more services are allowed and more clients feel confident at coming out after being vaccinated. Both employees and clients are feeling hopeful again, planning fun activities and starting to care about looking their best again."
LaBelle Day Spas & Salons,
Best Day Spa