Drag queens with San Francisco's Oasis hit the streets to deliver food with Meals on Heels show
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Live entertainment and bars are closed across the Bay Area. Bun San Francisco, one club is literally bringing their show to the street to pay their bills. The Oasis nightclub is known for its drag shows. But when the coronavirus pandemic pulled the curtain on nightlife, the stage went dark.
"COVID hit and we thought we were going to maybe be shut down for a couple weeks, or a month or two, and its turned into a much longer thing," said D'Arcy Drollinger, owner of the Oasis,
The curtain may be down, but there is movement backstage, keeping workers on the job, and giving performers an opportunity to bring their show to the road.
"We have started a delivery service called Meals on Heels," said Drollinger.
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Order online, and the Oasis staff will pack up your meal, and deliver it with a show.
"You get dinner, some kind of signature Oasis cocktail, delivered by a drag queen, who also does a curbside, socially distant, lip sync for you," said Drollinger.
Performers say the last couple months have been rough. The opportunity to perform, and work, has been given them something to look forward to.
Lindsay Slowhands is a performer at Oasis, she has been hosting an event at the club, but since COVID-19 shut things down, she's been looking for an outlet to perform.
"For D'Arcy to create this, and have this opportunity for drag queens to perform live and have the audience feel that energy again, that just means the world, and I am really ready for that energy," she said.
Meals on Heels started as a one-time event, but it has now evolved into a weekly service, with delivery available every Friday. A new menu is posted at toast-tab.com every Saturday, and it often sells out.
Dinner packages for two people include entrees, dessert and cocktails for two and start at $95. A single entree with drinks and a show will run you about $50. Tips are encouraged.
The food comes ready to warm up, made by Martha Avenue Home Cooked Meals, a business born out of the pandemic as well.
"Willi is a chef, and I am an actor, so both of us found ourselves without work," said Cindy Goldfield, co-owner of Martha Avenue Home Cooked Meals.
The couple behind the company, started making pre-prepared meals for friends when shelter-in-place orders went into effect. They and jumped at the opportunity to start selling them.
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"Thanks to Oasis, it's been our best month so far," Willi Nordby, the other co-owner.
If you don't want to let the neighbors in on your curbside show, you can pick up your food and performance at the club South of Market Street.
Most people don't mind giving their neighbors something to smile at.
"It was fantastic! It was so much fun! I loved it! I've never had food delivered like that!," said customer Kevin Dubay.
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D'Arcy Drollinger says the 3-5 minutes shows may be brief, but they are just enough to bring people out of their coronavirus slump.
"And also kind of bring some normalcy back to people's lives. They get to see a drag queen like the used to in the old days," laughed Drollinger.
Meals on Heels has been so successful, it may become a permanent offering from the club. They say they are looking at even expanding the service another weeknight.
Take a look at all of ABC7's Building a Better Bay Area stories and videos here.
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