The coronavirus pandemic has been hard on Upper Valley restaurants, as the falloff in customers willing to dine in public has forced numerous establishments to close, including at least four in Hanover alone with a fifth on the way.
But COVID-19 brought an unexpected outcome for Dirt Cowboy Cafe, the cafe and bakery kitty-corner from the Dartmouth Green and long a popular breakfast and lunch nook for college students and Hanover residents alike.
“It’s worked out well for us. That sounds crazy, I know,” Dirt Cowboy owner Tom Guerra said last week while he took a break from cleaning the coffee bean roaster machine that has become the engine behind saving his business.
Dirt Cowboy is not doing the level of business it was before COVID-19 erupted earlier this year — few restaurants or bars are — but, thanks to a large jump in online sales of its signature roasted coffee beans, Dirt Cowboy has swung back into the black after a long period of losing money, according to…
