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'Tulip table' makes sure no one has to be alone
Mean Deans Local Kitchen in Bradenton now has a "tulip table" for groups of diners who may have no one else to share a meal with.
BRADENTON, Fla. - When you open the doors of Mean Deals Local Kitchen in the Bayshore Gardens neighborhood of Bradenton, you become a part of the family.
"I feel like you need to make a difference in whatever capacity you are able to," said Michele Angell, a co-owner of the restaurant.
For Angell and Dean Donnelly, co-owner and chef at the restaurant, a phone call last Thanksgiving for one to-go dinner order brought on a new idea.
"She said her husband passed away, and I reached out to her and said I’ll be happy to give you this turkey dinner to go. However, I have an idea," said Angell.
Angell’s step-father had just passed away.
She invited the woman to come have dinner at the restaurant with her mother, but what started as the one invite has grown into so much more.
They now have a "communal" table that is offered for those who don’t want to be alone during holidays.
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"It’s nice, because I know a lot of them have exchanged phone numbers and become friends, so it’s nice to see that maybe they start off as people who don’t know each other and gradually that connection is formed," said Angell.
The table brings a natural smile to server Georgia Pollock’s face.
"To see these ladies and gentleman get together and have a great conversation and smile, especially on a holiday when they will be all alone, is heartwarming," said Pollock.
The table’s name changes with each holiday.
"This table is absolutely personal, and it’s caught on with a lot of people we didn’t expect," said Donnelly.
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For Mother’s Day, it’s the "Tulip Table."
What has changed is the way people smile when they sit at the table together.
"It’s that little extra you need to do, because you don’t know what someone is going through," said Donnelly.
Mean Deans Local Kitchen is located at 6059 26th Street West in Bradenton. For a reservation at the Tulip Table, call (941) 251-5435.
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