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Ashley Christensen temporarily closes all restaurants

Chef Ashley Christensen has closed all of her restaurants amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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Ashley Christensen
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Kathy Hanrahan, Out
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RALEIGH, N.C. — Chef Ashley Christensen is temporarily closing all of her restaurants amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The chef made the announcement via Instagram, just a week after Gov. Roy Cooper ordered all dine-in service to cease.

Christensen wrote that Tuesday would be the last day of take-out service at Beasley's Chicken and Honey for the foreseeable future. Poole'side Pies and Poole's Diner stopped take-out on Sunday. Christensen's other restaurants, Death and Taxes, Chuck's and Fox Liquor Bar closed last week before the governor's order.

"Our team worked so hard this past week to make takeout and curbside work, and we were overwhelmed by the support of our community—you all came by in record numbers to enjoy pizza, fried chicken sandwiches, and mac au gratin to go. But ultimately, we were increasingly concerned about the safety and feasibility of this as a long term plan," Christensen wrote.

Instead, the James Beard Award-winning chef is shifting gears.

"We are still offering our ClubHouse dinner kits out of our commissary kitchen and feel that we can minimize the risk much more through this model with scheduled pickups and deliveries—for our staff and our guests," she wrote.

Christensen said she is still working with elected leaders to hopefully gain aid for the hospitality industry.

"We are still in constant communication with our laid off teammates and offering weekly grocery pickups and as many other resources as we can find while we’re in this incredibly difficult period," she wrote. "Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you on the other side of all of this."

Christensen has joined the growing list of business owners temporarily closing dining rooms, which includes NanaSteak in Durham and Mofu Shoppe, Carroll's Kitchen and Brewery Bhavana in downtown Raleigh.

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