BAKERSFIELD, Calif — As part of our rebound series, we bring you the stories of businesses that are overcoming the challenges of the pandemic and making it work. One of those businesses is a local bar and restaurant that actually opened in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We opened in August, in the middle of the pandemic,” Lisa Tuckerhood, owner of Krush, said.

Krush started it’s relocation process from Hageman road to Meany Avenue just as the pandemic began in March. But, despite the unknowns with COVID-19, Tuckerhood decided to take a chance and open up the restaurant anyways.

“I thought well, let’s open it up, even if it was just on the patio,” Tuckerhood said.

Tuckerhood was born and raised in Bakersfield and has been in the restaurant business for nearly 6 years, but she says this has been the most difficult year yet.

“We are keeping our head above water but it takes a long time to launch a restaurant, even if there is no pandemic,” Tuckerhood said.

And for her, she considers her staff and customers family, which is why it has been especially hard to see her employees struggle to make some ends meet due to COVID.

“It is extremely frustrating. More so for my staff, more so as they are trying to support their families and feed their children and do the things that they need to do to make a living," Tuckerhood said.

But, Tuckerhood and her staff persevered and continued to work hard to get more customers by promoting on their Facebook page to let people know that they were open.

“I think the happiest people are is when they can come in here, take off their masks, and enjoy their drinks and their friends and they can see their faces,” Tuckerhood said.

As more and more customers came to enjoy a drink, music and some company, Tuckerhood has felt that things are starting to look up.

“It’s so much fun here because it isn’t unusual for us to yell across the restaurant “good night," Tuckerhood said. "You know you hardly see that."