BEEFCAKE FACTORY: APRIL 2020 COVID MESSAGE FOR PATRONS BY BOB GIELOW

First and foremost, we want to express our sincere concern for everyone who has been impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19). We have been heartbroken to see the illness and the disruption to lives that has been caused by this virus.

For more than 20 years, The Beefcake Factory has been dedicated to offering our patrons unparalleled images of men in the prime of their lives, from around the world. We bring smiles and desirous feelings to countless hetero-women and gay men. We take pride in the quality of our imagery, in the dramatic scenery represented, in our fashion style choices, and in the diversity and fitness of our models.

At The Beefcake Factory, we care deeply about our people. They are what makes our company so special. The health and wellbeing of our employees, contractors and patrons has always been our number one concern, and we wanted to share with you some actions we’ve taken to ensure everyone’s continued safety during this unprecedented time of uncertainty.

As reported in an earlier announcement, The Beefcake Factory’s headquarters in San Francisco has been closed to non-essential employees, since March 4th. All staff are working remotely, or in shifts (e.g., in preparation for photo/video shoots) to minimize face-to-face interactions and in alignment with the CDC’s guidance regarding safe ‘social distancing.’ We’ve been aggressively cleaning public-facing surfaces within the building as advised by the San Francisco Health Department. We are ensuring that our employees have the information they need to remain healthy and are instructing them to stay home if they’re not feeling well. In addition, we are maintaining benefits-eligibility for all staff members who may not be able to maintain their required work hours, either due to their own illness or a lack of available hours.

After assessing the health risks faced by models, photographers/ videographers and support teams when traveling commercially, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone all shoots that were scheduled beyond 100 miles from our Mission District Offices. Over the next month or so, although patrons will not be able to enjoy our standard variety of Virile Vignette (™) locations, and even though our choice of models will be similarly limited, you can trust that the quality of the images/videos produced will continue to far exceed those of our competition.

Please note that ‘VAP – Virile Access Pass’ members will continue to be allowed on set during our photo/video shoots, though markings will be placed on the floor/ground to help patrons distance themselves from others. With an abundance of caution, The Beefcake Factory has temporarily suspended offering discounted travel arrangements in support of VAP patrons traveling to our shoot locations.

We should acknowledge that there have been multiple reports of people conducting internet searches for ‘viral vignettes.’ Instead of finding heart-warming stories about people who have battled COVID-19, Google has instead been ‘Showing results for’ The Beefcake Factory’s trademark phrase, ‘Virile Vignettes.’ Not surprisingly, this has led to unanticipated results. If you are searching for ‘COVID-19’ stories, we urge you to include that phrase in your internet search and recommend using ‘viral’ and not ‘virile.’

We are heart-broken to report that Antonio Rossi, beloved model in several dozen Virile Vignettes and selected by patrons as The Beefcake Factory’s ‘Top Model’ for both 2015 and 2016, has died in Rome due to complications brought on by the COVID-19 virus. Antonio is remembered by his friends and family for his wry humor and for living his life ‘in grande.’ He will, no doubt, be remembered by his Beefcake Factory fans for his rugged jaw-line and his impressive pectorals.

In recognition of the public’s demand for increased access to visual pleasure during these trying times, we are excited to announce that non-subscribers will now be offered free access to previously-released Virile Vignettes, ten days after subscribers have been able to enjoy them. Beginning on Friday, April 10, 2020, non-patrons can visit TheBeefcakeFactory.com, click on the ‘Guest Entry’ link, share their email address and pursue their viewing pleasures. (Yes, we’ve created another reason why the end of this week should be considered a ‘Good Friday!’)

We encourage you to stay healthy and we look forward to having you see us soon.

Sincerely,

David Oberfeld Suzanne Oberfeld

Chairman, Founder & CEO President

Photo by James Barr on Unsplash

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A college administrator by day, Bob Gielow (he/him) spins tales in formats we all use when communicating with each other: text messages, emails, fictional Wikipedia posts, and diary entries all allow him to be clinical and thorough in describing his characters, their thinking and actions … without diminishing his ability to explore the resulting human emotions.