Community Donates over $22K to Help Veterans Café after COVID-19 Forced Their Doors Shut

For more than a decade, those who have served our country have stopped by this Myrtle Beach business to grab a bite to eat and share experiences of their military careers. In fact, veterans from around the country have heard about the Veteran’s Café and Grille in North Myrtle Beach and make it a point to stop in when they pass through the area.

The walls inside are lined with military service memorabilia and photographs, making it a mini museum about the lives of veterans from World War II to the present day conflicts. If you love to hear old war stories all you have to do is order something to eat and sit back and listen in.

Recently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Veterans Café and Grille has sat quiet. Like many restaurants across the country, the Café tried to weather the storm by offering take-out and curbside delivery. But it wasn’t to be. The allure of the place was the experience sharing and story swapping.

Lou Masherion, the Café’s owner since 2009, has been struggling just like many other small businesses. As the bills keep coming in, the future of the community landmark was in doubt.

That’s when the North Myrtle Beach community stepped in. On a Friday morning, dozens of people came by to pledge donations to keep the Café up and running. Veterans, Veteran Support Groups and Program, along with the kindness of strangers lined the street outside the Veteran’s Café and Grill for several hours dropping of donation.

“It's unreal, it's unbelievable. People have been coming since 8:30 this morning (Friday). They just keep coming by. I did not realize this many people in the community felt this way about us,” Mascherion said. “We’re used to doing it for them and now they're out here doing it for us it makes us feel really good.”

So far $22,000 has been donated so that the Café can survive until in-house dining restrictions can be lifted.

Water Mold Fire Restoration of Myrtle Beach (843) 305-7391, is proud to be a member of such a great, caring community. As we all struggle through these uncertain times, good news is hard to come by. The survival of a business that cares about our nation’s veterans is important to us all.