Detroit's Anchor Bar offers free meals to federal employees during shutdown

Anchor Bar offers free meals for federal workers during shutdown

Federal workers stuck in the middle with no end in sight are getting a helping hand by a downtown Detroit staple.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A downtown Detroit staple is offering a helping hand to federal employees amid the Washington DC shutdown.

The backstory:

The Anchor Bar is offering free meals to all federal employees that go there during the ongoing government shutdown, currently at seven days.

To qualify, federal employees need to show a valid federal ID when dining at the Anchor Bar and their food bill will be fully comped.

Owner Nabih Ayad said that this is an effort to relieve some of the stress that federal workers impacted by the shutdown, are under.

"A lot of federal employees, we have a number of individuals that come in here and have lunch over here during their work here in downtown Detroit," he said. "And given that this has been such a historical, legendary bar, we felt we give back to the community and to those federal employees that may be working either paycheck to paycheck or basically just give a little.

"I mean, they're not going to pay their mortgage off by this, but at least that they can have a free meal when they come into the Anchor Bar to take some kind heat of the expenses that they're facing without government pay during these challenging times."

The free meal offer will continue for the duration of the government shutdown.

Founded in 1957, the Anchor Bar is located at 450 W. Fort Street.