Local restaurant owners plead for help to make it through winter December 14, 2020 1:17 PM Jaymes Langrehr Updated: MADISON, Wis. — Business was hot when the Heritage Tavern opened in downtown Madison in 2013. When business was at its best, they would have to turn away people on Friday and Saturday nights. But things have changed this year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chef Dan Fox says on a recent Friday night, they only filled three tables. Fox and the Heritage Tavern has done what they can to adapt, including shifting to a to-go menu and building a patio for outdoor seating. Fox has other businesses in town, too, but says all are losing money and have lost about 70 of their employees, too. That’s why he’s pleading with the community to support local restaurants instead of national chains.