Pontoon Brewing COVID-19 Action Plan Pontoon Brewing to Focus on Community and Industry Support in Response to COVID-19
UPDATED 3/17/2020 at 11:00AM Sandy Springs, GA – In response to the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and the emerging crisis in the hospitality industry, Pontoon Brewing Company will be immediately shifting its focus from normal taproom operations to curbside service, support for those in the hospitality industry affected by the pandemic, and production of safety supplies such as hand sanitizer. During this time, Pontoon Brewing will continue to monitor the situation, implement new strategies to achieve these goals, and work to ensure the safety of the community.
Beginning Tuesday, March 17, Pontoon Brewing’s Sandy Springs taproom will be closed for on-site service. Pontoon Brewing fully appreciates the necessity of social distancing and flattening the curve. We are also committed to supporting our full and part-time staff and, in order to keep the business running in this difficult time, we will need to find ways to replace the business which is no longer able to walk in the door. To do so, Pontoon Brewing is accepting orders for packaged beer to-go, merchandise, and gift cards which can all be picked up via curbside service. To place an order, go to the Pontoon Brewing website store (link here) or call the brewery directly at (770) 674-1075. With either method you can arrange curbside pickup when convenient and when you feel safe. Pontoon Brewing staff will be available to assist during the brewery’s new adjusted hours of 11:00AM-7:00PM, seven days a week. You will be able to wait in your car as a staff member brings your order out to you.
During this time, Pontoon Brewing encourages members of the community to donate to the non-profit organization Bottleshare. Bottleshare was founded to support industry workers and their families when they experience adversity outside of the workplace. When someone in the craft beverage industry is experiencing a crisis or extreme hardship, Bottleshare not only wants to help them financially, but wants to lift their spirits, give them something to celebrate and share their story in such a way that they feel their very own hope renewed. Donations to Bottleshare can be made to their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/BottleshareOfficial/’) and will go directly to employees in the craft beverage industry who are experiencing hardship during this crisis. When Pontoon Brewing is able to return to regular operating hours, we will continue to work with Bottleshare to set up events to support our community of craft beverage employees.
“We understand there’s a lot of uncertainty out there with the announcement of restaurants and bars closing,” says Christopher Glenn, Founder and Executive Director of Bottleshare. “While necessary, we know this will have an impact on our craft beverage industry and its employees. We at Bottleshare will do everything we can to support the community during this critical time.”
In further support of Bottleshare, Pontoon Brewing, in partnership with Rock 100.5’s Bailey & Southside Show, will begin offering free hand sanitizer for curbside pickup at the taproom next week. While the hand sanitizer is free, Pontoon Brewing and the and Bailey & Southside Show crew will encourage continued donations to Bottleshare. Sean O’Keefe, Co-Founder and CEO of Pontoon Brewing, will be going on the Bailey & Southside Show next week to talk more about this fundraising and community support effort, so stay tuned!
Pontoon Brewing is committed to its community. In the face of this pandemic, we will be continuing safe practices throughout the business while also striving to bring the community new and exciting beers. Be on the lookout for announcements on releases which will, in all cases, utilize the strictest of procedures to keep everyone safe. In addition, Pontoon Brewing is committed to creating a safe and clean atmosphere for their community to return to when they feel safe and comfortable. The entire staff will be continuing the enhanced cleaning and sanitation procedures already implemented in the recent weeks. Once the danger has passed, Pontoon Brewing will re-open their taproom so it can be a welcoming space to share radically awesome beer with friends, as it always has. Shades on, bottoms up, and wash your hands!
About Pontoon Brewing: Pontoon Brewing was founded in 2014 by a group of longtime pals and home brewers who are passionate about developing awesomely scrumptious beer, the great outdoors, and pretty much anything on or near the water: what we dubbed the “Pontoon Lifestyle”. We soon found a home in Sandy Springs and opened our brewery and taproom in 2018, becoming the first and only brewery in the city. Pontoon Brewing prides itself on putting our own brand of fun, unique, and often irreverent twists on traditional styles of beer. Pontoon Brewing’s beers are available in our Sandy Springs taproom, throughout the state of Georgia and in the greater Charlotte, NC area.
About Bottleshare: At Bottleshare, our mission is to support industry workers and their families when they experience adversity outside of the workplace. At any moment, a member of our craft beverage community can come face-to-face with a situation that prevents them from continuing to work, placing an undue financial burden upon them and their family.
Our commitment to the craft beverage industry reflects the creative, compassionate hearts and minds that make this community thrive. Through donations, events, and collaborations, Bottleshare supports industry workers and families experiencing adversity outside of the workplace, reciprocating the love and strength that characterizes craft culture and the people that make it so special. When a fellow craft beverage worker is experiencing an emergency or extreme hardship, we not only want to help them financially, we want to lift their spirits, give them something to celebrate, and share our story in such a way that they feel their very own hope renewed. That’s why our approach to fundraising is rooted in what uplifts the Bottleshare and our incredible partners -- a love for craft beer, wine, spirits, and an even deeper love for the beautiful community to which we all belong. In this way, our passion unifies all of our various stakeholders, regardless of whether they’re partnering, collaborating, giving, or receiving.
