Owners of Helen restaurant downtown adapt to COVID-19, feel ‘blessed’

Chef Rob McDaniel and his wife, Emily, opened their restaurant, Helen, at 2013 Second Ave. N. in August 2020.

Helen Restaurant is named for McDaniel’s grandmother, Helen Frutiger, who was his culinary inspiration.

But at the time, Birmingham and the rest of the world was several months into the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

The timing for the McDaniels in opening their new eatery was “obviously not ideal,” Rob McDaniel told Iron City Ink recently.

However, construction on the restaurant was already underway, he said.

“There was no turning back,” McDaniel said.

The couple was also “so excited to have the opportunity to be opening a place of our own,” he said.

The couple “decided to forge forward and remain faithful,” he said.

And their faith was rewarded.

“Birmingham was very welcoming, and we just took it one day at a time,” McDaniel said.

The menu at Helen uses fresh, seasonal ingredients from area farmers and other vendors.

It offers a large selection of vegetables as well as meats, seafood and non-traditional sides.

Like other eateries and retailers, Helen adapted to the pandemic in 2020.

“We created a Lunch Club to promote lunch business,” McDaniel said. “We offered holiday beverages to-go while that was available in our area, and of course offered curbside pick-up like many businesses are still doing today.”

They also got creative.

The restaurant collaborated last year with Back Forty Birmingham, a craft brewer located at Sloss Docks, to create another homage to McDaniel’s grandmother: a citrus-forward, hazy India pale ale called Helen’s Haze.

The couple also received tremendous help from their staff and praised their “hard work and dedication” since the restaurant opened.

The couple has run into some challenges, like other business people in the pandemic.

“We have run into product delays, shortages and rising food prices,” McDaniel said.

Like other business owners, including those in the service industry, the couple is looking forward warily to 2022.

“We are hopeful that business will continue to grow, and our community will stay safe from the virus,” McDaniel said. “The South has not fared well to COVID-19, and we continue to monitor the situation on a weekly basis. We are keeping our staff safe by masking up during service and hope that our guests feel safe dining with us.”

More than a year later, Helen is still rewarding the couple’s faith.

“Business has been very good, and we feel blessed,” McDaniel said.

For more information, go to helenbham.com.