Abbey Burger Bistro will be the second business from Federal Hill to receive aid from Barstool Sports’ The Barstool Fund, which was started with a $500,000 donation by Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and now has raised more than $22.4 million. The fund has received donations from celebrities such as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Guy Fieri, Dana White, and Kid Rock.
Abbey Burger Bistro currently has locations in Federal Hill, Fells Point, and Mount Washington. The team is also planning a Havre de Grace location.
Abbey Burger Bistro was started by wife and husband Marigot and Russ Miller. Jason Zink is also a partner.
The Abbey Burger Bistro team produced a video for The Barstool Fund featuring Marigot Miller, the Miller’s seven-year-old daughter Reagan, nine-year-old daughter Liliana, and Marigot Miller’s 21-year-old sisters Victoria and Sadie Haft.
The video joked the Miller’s daughters aged so much during the nine months of the COVID-19 pandemic that they were later played by the Haft sisters in the following scene. Victoria Haft also played into Portnoy’s “One Bite” slogan when eating an Abbey burger.
Later, in a more serious section of the video, Marigot Miller talked about how Mayor Brandon Scott shut down indoor and outdoor dining and how it has made it hard to pay staff and keep them on board. Abbey Burger Bistro and other Baltimore restaurants are currently only open for carryout. She discussed how they used personal loans to keep the business going and that those funds are now almost gone.
Reagan Miller spoke about how really good people are always in the restaurant and Victoria Haft discussed how when walking into an Abbey Burger Bistro location everyone feels like family.
Zink got the FaceTime call from Portnoy receiving the good news. Portnoy said the video was “very cute,” and said, “a bunch of people reached out in Baltimore saying you guys are a great spot and a great family and all that, so we want to help out.”
During the call, Zink talked about how great the upcoming weekend would’ve been with the Ravens playoff game. Zink was admittedly in shock when getting the call and thanked Portnoy for including Abbey Burger Bistro in the fund.
The Barstool Fund will help the team at Abbey Burger Bistro pay the rent at the Fells Point location.
Marigot Miller told SouthBMore.com they are very excited and their phones were blowing up yesterday after Barstool Sports posted the Abbey Burger Bistro video. “It’s amazing, I never thought it would actually happen,” she said.
She also said she was surprised they were chosen after other Baltimore businesses in the area, including Dough Boy Fresh Pretzel Co., Claddagh Pub, and Don’t Know Tavern, were already part of The Barstool Fund, but noted that many business around the country are allowed to open unlike in Baltimore.
Marigot Miller said they were planning on closing the Fells Point location until things started getting back to normal, but now they will keep it open.
Abbey Burger Bistro has about 60 employees between the three locations. Hours have been drastically cut at each location which has led to less shifts for employees. Marigot Miller said business has been down by about 70 to 80 percent during the pandemic.
Marigot Miller said she encourages customers to order directly from Abbey Burger Bistro and its website so they can avoid the fees of the delivery and ordering apps.
She said this year has been very stressful and she looks forward to reopening safely and continuing to keep its staff employed. She is grateful for the support they’ve received from Barstool Sports and the community and is hopeful COVID-19 numbers will decrease as more people take the vaccine.
Abbey Burger Bistro partnered on the initiative to feed healthcare workers and police and firefighters last year and set up events to support its front-of-house workers who rely on tips.
Abbey Burger Bistro plans to honor Barstool Sports with a wood plaque in each of its locations. They are also looking into naming a burger after Portnoy.
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The post Abbey Burger Bistro Receives Aid from Barstool Sports first appeared on SouthBMore.com.
via https://www.southbmore.com/2021/01/11/abbey-burger-bistro-receives-aid-from-barstool-sports/
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