Action in Response to Coronavirus

We’ve setup this blog post to keep you up to date with the latest Eli’s news regarding changes due to COVID-19. Updates will be posted daily or as often as they arrive. Please keep an eye on our social media for news as well!

Customer Guide

How to order: Use our app or website to place an order for in-store pickup or Curbside delivery or place a to-go or eat-in order inside our shops.

Safety: Face coverings are now optional in our shops.

Seating: Seating restrictions on spacing and capacity have been lifted! Customers are welcome to enjoy both our indoor and outside spaces.

Updated 02/28/2022

Beginning on Tuesday 3/01/22, we will be the county-by-county community levels as set by the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html

Currently Tazewell & Woodford counties are both at either medium or low risk. As a result, masks are optional for both customers and our employees.

Updated 08/29/2021

Beginning on Monday 8/30/21, facial coverings will be required for all customers and employees inside our shops, regardless of vaccination status. Customers seated inside may remove their facial covering while enjoying our drinks or food.

Updated 08/11/2021

In accordance with CDC and local Health Department guidelines, we are now recommending that all customers wear facial coverings, regardless of vaccination status when inside our shops.

Updated 07/01/2021

We are lifting the capacity and spacing restrictions of our indoor and outdoor seating! Our shops will begin transitioning back to full capacity, allowing for more seating, and larger groups at tables.

In addition to this, we will also resume renting out our side room at the Morton shop. The room may be rented in advance for $25 / 2 hours.

Updated 05/24/2021

Face masks for fully vaccinated customers are now optional! We are making this change accordance with updated CDC guidelines, as well as instructions from our local Health Departments. A fully vaccinated person is anyone who is two weeks past having received two doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

We are also making masks optional for Eli’s employees who are fully vaccinated, and have not been recently exposed to COVID-19.

Updated 03/21/2021

For the first time in over a year, we are resuming normal hours on Monday 3/22/21! Each location will have the following regular hours:

Sunday: 7am – 5pm

Monday – Saturday: 6am – 9pm

Updated 01/17/2021

Beginning on January 18 2021, we will be opening up all of our shops for limited indoor seating!

In accordance with the Tier 1 Mitigation Plan, tables are spaced 6 ft. apart and are limited to 4 people or less per table. Tables or chairs must not be moved to accommodate different group sizes. Customers must wear a mask or cloth face covering over their mouth and nose at all times except when seated at a table.

More information on our regional metrics can be found here: https://www.dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics?regionID=2

Updated 12/31/2020

Beginning on January 2 2021, we will be updating our hours. We will be closing one hour earlier at 7pm Monday – Saturday until further notice.

Along with this, we also want to remind everyone that an Eli’s shop may open later, or close earlier unexpectedly due to Pandemic related staffing issues. These closures have been few and far between, but do occasionally happen. We apologize for the inconveniences but thank you so much for understanding!

Updated 11/02/2020

Beginning on Wednesday, November 4, we will be closing our indoor seating in compliance with Illinois’ Region 2 Mitigation steps: https://illinoisgov.force.com/coronavirus/s/restore-illinois-mitigation-plan

Customers will still be able to place orders inside where social distancing will be enforced. Mobile orders for both curbside delivery and in-shop pickup will also still be available.

Updated 08/04/2020

We were notified that an Eli’s employee tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, 8/1/20. That employee, as well as any others that they had contact with for more than 15 minutes have been placed in a 14 day quarantine.

As a result of this, we are unable to fully staff our shops for our regular hours. During the week of 8/3, some temporary hours are in place:

Morton – Mon-Sat 6am – 5pm

Metamora – Mon-Sat 6am – 5pm | Sun 7am-2pm

These hours are subject to change. Please check Google or the Eli’s app for updated hours on our locations.

We believe that the risk of exposure to our customers is extremely low. All of our employees wear masks during their shifts and we ask customers to do the same. We are regularly washing and sanitizing both our hands and any prep surfaces/equipment.

Interactions with Baristas are almost always less than 15 minutes and at a distance.

Updated 07/01/2020

Beginning Wednesday July 1st, limited tables and chairs will be available in our shops for groups no larger than 10 people. We will also be opening up our shops an hour earlier at 6 am Mon-Sat.

If you’re able, we ask that you do sit outside in our outdoor spaces or visit a local park, so that the limited indoor seating is available to others more sensitive to the summer heat and sun.

As before, we ask that you wear a mask into the shops and at any time when you’re not seated at your table eating, drinking, and chatting. Our staff will continue to wear masks and follow a diligent sanitation regimen of all public areas Mobile orders are still available for curbside or in-shop pickup as well, and we encourage you to continue taking advantage of this! Stay safe and be well, Central Illinois. You’re the best!

All policies put into place in our 5/25/20 update below will still apply when ordering in our shops.

Updated 05/25/2020

We’re excited to announce that beginning on June 1 2020, we will be opening up our shops for carryout and mobile pickup orders! As part of this announcement, we have some additional policies starting on June 1, in accordance with the IDPH, our local Health Departments, and Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois Plan guidelines.

Placing orders in the shops:

Customers will be welcomed in to place carryout orders or to pick up a mobile order.
Customers must be wearing a mask while inside the shop. For additional information, please view this link.
Social distancing, using marked spots for standing will be used where possible.
When placing a group order, only one customer should go inside to place the order.
Mobile orders for pickup will be placed on a special marked shelf in each shop.

Placing mobile orders:

Orders through our app, or through eliscoffee.com/order, you’ll have the option to choose whether to place an order for in-store pickup or for curbside delivery in your car. (drive thru in Tremont)
In-store pickup orders should follow the policies listed above.
Curbside mobile orders will be delivered out to your vehicle. Just park in the designated curbside spots and your order will be brought out as soon as its ready. If you don’t receive your order within 10 minutes of arriving, please call the shop at (309) 263-0507.

Placing phone orders:

To help our Baristas manage the difficult task of balancing in-shop and mobile orders, we are no longer accepting orders via phone. Please place an order using one of the above methods.

Outdoor Seating:

In addition to opening our shops back up for pickups, we will also be opening up our outdoor seating areas!

Any group must not exceed six people. Tables for outdoor seating must not be moved together.
Morton – Seating on our side patio will be available, as well as seating in front of the shop. Tables will be spaced according to social distancing guidelines.
Tremont – Limited seating will be available at the front of the shop.
Metamora – Limited seating will be available at the front of the shop.

Updated 05/04/2020

We have a couple of updates to share, as well as some info on our plans to transition back to normalcy over the next month. The updates below will start on Thursday, May 7.

First, and most importantly, we’ll be extending our shop hours to 7am – 7pm Monday – Saturday and 7am to 5pm on Sunday. This will ensure that you’re able to grab your favorite drink or dessert after picking up dinner for you and your family!
Just a reminder that mobile ordering is now available! It makes ordering your drinks and treats much easier than calling the shop. To get started, download our app, or order online from eliscoffee.com/order.
We will be ending our 25% discount on bakery and deli items.
The free shipping minimum for online orders is increasing to $35.
Finally, with some news coming out regarding the extension to the Shelter in Place order, as well as some local announcements, we we wanted to let you know what our plans are for the future:
- We will be continuing our curbside/drive thru service as we have been. In-store service is still closed. Based on advice from the IDPH, as well as our local Health Departments, we believe this to be the best course of action to ensure the continued safety of our staff and community.
- We are maintaining our no-contact policy. This means that we cannot accept cash payments.
- While we don’t know exactly what the transition back to normal will look like, it will most likely involve us opening our doors for pickup orders first, limited, distanced seating next, and then finally for full seating and service down the road. We’ll be sure to share more updates with you as we go!

Updated 03/20/2020

In light of the news from the Governor’s office tonight, we’ve got a few policy changes and updates to share with you. The first is that, for right now, Eli’s will remain open in its limited capacity from 7 am to 5 pm. Our shops serve small communities where access to fresh, healthy food and drinks can be limited. We want to do what we can to ensure that food and drinks are available to our customers in a safe manner, as recommended by Governor Pritzker and our local health departments. We’re incredibly grateful for your support thus far, and we continue to ask for your support now. Many of you have asked and so we wanted to give you some ways that you can help us and our employees through this:

Load credit on your Eli’s app. Whether or not you intend to use it right away, it helps our cash flow and reduces physical contact during orders.
Consider saving your rewards points for the next month or two. While we love rewarding you with free drinks, your points never expire, and saving those redemptions can really make a difference for us in the short term.
Place an online order for coffee or merchandise. Get whole bean or ground coffee delivered to your house. All orders over $20 ship anywhere in the US for free!
Give us a follow on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. That’ll be the first place we post any updates.
If you’re not feeling well, please do not come to Eli’s. If possible, remain at home.

We are also introducing these additional polices at our shops that go into effect immediately:

We are adopting a no-contact policy with payments, which means all orders must be paid for by a credit card over the phone when placing an order, or by paying using your Eli’s Credit on your app.
We’re taking 25% off all deli and bakery items until further notice. We don’t want price to be a barrier to getting fresh food.
If you’re placing an order at the shops, we’re asking that you please remain in your vehicle, and call your order in. Your barista will run it out to you.

Updated 03/19/2020

We’ve got a few updates to share with everyone today:

We’re offing 50% off all of our bakery items through today only!
The easiest, safest, lowest contact way to pay for your order is by downloading the Eli’s App and loading credit to your account. If you’d like to find out how to load credit on your account or to download the app, you can view our Eli’s Rewards Help page.
In an effort to support our incredible vendor friends and keep our ingredients as fresh as possible, you can now buy gallons of whole or skim Kilgus Farmstead milk at our shops! They’re $3.50/gallon and supplies are limited.

Updated 03/16/2020

On Monday March 16th, all three shops will have regular hours but we will be closing our seating areas. Customers will still be able to order from the counter or drive thru for carryout only.

Beginning Tuesday, March 17, seating and carryout orders will be closed. Hours will be adjusted to 7 am – 5 pm.

The Tremont drive thru will remain open and ready for customers. Morton and Metamora shops will start offering curbside service. Baristas will meet you at your car to take your order, and payment, then your drinks or food will be brought out to you.

Morton curbside location – Parking spots and the street behind the Eli’s shop (Bradley)

Metamora curbside location – Parking spots immediately out front of the shop on Partridge st.

All other previously mentioned policies will remain in effect. Again, we are also asking that if you are feeling unwell or are at a higher risk for contracting the Coronavirus disease, that you do not visit Eli’s, even via a drive thru or curbside pickup.

Updated 03/11/2020

Safety for our staff and customers is our highest priority at Eli’s, so we wanted to update you on our response internally to the Coronavirus pandemic. Along with this information, we are announcing some temporary policies that will be put in place immediately.

Our staff will be increasing the frequency of hand washing as well as the frequency of washing and sanitizing contact surfaces like tables, counters, doors, etc. We have also re-affirmed the policies already in place regarding proper hand washing, single-use glove use, and protocols for coughing and sneezing. In addition, all of our staff are required to alert a supervisor if they are feeling ill. We are taking a no-questions-asked sickness policy. If an employee is not feeling well, they will be asked to stay home.

Beyond these measures, we are implementing several temporary policies that affect our customers. These policies go into effect immediately and until further notice.

We will be only using and filling single-use cups for all of our coffee and other drinks. While we love your reusable mugs, we’re asking that you keep them at home for the time being.
We will be suspending any food sampling in the shops.
If you are not feeling well, we would kindly ask that you refrain from coming to Eli’s.

Finally, we want to ask all of our customers to help us out in this effort. Please make sure that you are washing your hands frequently as well as avoiding touching your face or mouth with your hands. Loading credit on your Eli’s app and paying for your order via your phone will help reduce the amount of hand-to-hand interactions with cash. Please grant our Baristas a little extra time to make your drink or prepare your food. They will be working really hard to ensure a clean and safe environment and it is possible that we will also be short-staffed due to illness.

Thank you very much for your cooperation and help with this effort. As many of you know, community support is a central pillar at Eli’s. Most of the time, that means we get to do fun things like raise money for great non-profits, or host local artists on 4th Fridays, but sometimes it also means doing what we can to slow the spread of a disease. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions. We will be sure to update you with any new developments.

Weston & Rachel

Owners