Hendersonville chef turns to an old friend to stay afloat during the pandemic
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HENDERSONVILLE, NC (WLOS) — Helge Gresser has a new love for his 1985 Chevy truck.
“It actually saved my restaurant,” said the chef, who has run Haus Heidelberg in Hendersonville since 1994.
Gresser bought the used food truck in 2017 for selling German food at festivals. And, before the pandemic, he rolled it out of his Greenville Highway eatery just once a week for three months a year.
The stay-at-home order amid the COVID-19 pandemic threw him and his staff for a loop.
“I thought I was doing pretty well in life in March, when we got closed down only for to-go orders,” the 48-year-old native of Aachen, Germany, said.
With very little to-go business, Gresser turned to the truck out of necessity, setting up at least five days a week at shopping centers, breweries and vineyards.
Haus Heidelberg has since returned to 50% seating capacity, but Gresser has continued to put at least 400 miles on the truck each week, operating Wednesdays through Sundays, most often in front of the Target in Arden. Mondays and Tuesdays are set aside for maintenance on the 35-year old machine.
“It’s hard-earned money. But, considering there was no money coming in while the restaurants were closed, it paid the bills,” he said. “It’s kind of funny how something that’s been sitting there unused was the thing that made sure I’m still currently in business.”
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