“New Year’s resolutions are for other people; I don’t need a holiday to change things up,” I always said. My first— and only—New Year’s resolution came on the eve of 2019 when I challenged myself to eat breakfast in each of Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns within the year. Eager to break out of my rut and dine at venues new to me, I sought ideas from friends, wait staff and, occasionally, social media.
Why breakfast, someone asked? Simple: It’s my favorite meal, one I love to eat any time.
Some hindsights: First, before the pandemic, I confess that I hadn’t always considered the challenges associated with running a “mom-and- pop” business, as so many of these breakfast venues are. Now, I am amazed and inspired by the strength, resilience and perseverance these and other local restaurant owners continue to demonstrate.
Second, work commitments, out-of-town travel (remember that?) and even a bout with walking pneumonia slowed my progress. I should have known it would take longer than I planned—doesn’t everything?
Third, who knew so many diners are named for people? Of 39 venues, 10 bore first names. Fourth, West Greenwich lacks any breakfast spots other than fast food, so I was temporarily flummoxed … until I called an acquaintance at Amgen, a biotech company located there. Explaining my dilemma, I was graciously invited to the company dining room, where the two of us enjoyed a delicious hot breakfast and gossiped like old friends. (That wouldn’t have happened in 2020.)
Lastly, had I consulted census data before I began my breakfast challenge, I wouldn’t have forgotten Richmond (which I did!) and I would have remembered that Wickford is part of North Kingstown (which I did not!). And, I relied on locals’ recommendations to visit The Harmony Café “in Glocester.” In fact, it’s in Manville, a village in Lincoln.
So, while I didn’t complete the mission to the full “letter of the law,” I enjoyed chowing down on gluten-free avocado toast at Newport’s Franklin Spa and Howie’s in North Providence, gluten-free blueberry pancakes at Rhody Hen Café in Pawtucket, and jonnycakes at the now-closed Oatley’s in North Kingstown, as I packed on thousands of calories and hundreds of miles, eating solo or with friends or family.
After all the challenges in 2020, particularly for restaurants, I decided to circle back around with a few of the owners of the 39 Rhody breakfast spots I visited before the pandemic to see how they’re doing. Fortunately, most survived the shutdown, with only four closing their doors. As you might imagine, the challenges were, for some diner owners, deeply emotional, given widespread temporary closures, reduced hours, reduced staff, supply chain issues and much more. Here are their reflections …
“People feel like [our Burrillville diner] is theirs; they’ve been here longer than we have,” says Johnny Hanaway, of Johnny’s Victory Diner, founded in 1939, that he and his wife, Rhonda, bought in 2018. At Covid’s outset, some regular customers pitched in to wash dishes or do minor maintenance when staff were unavailable, says Johnny. Recently, one new patron anonymously picked up the tab for everyone’s meals when he paid his own bill, Rhonda says.
With no customer complaints or problems, Howie’s often “has long lines of customers waiting to enter the diner on weekends,” says Sarah Bleich, chef and general manager who co-owns the restaurant with brothers Michael and Christopher Howe.
“Nearly all our customers were incredibly supportive about how we reconfigured the restaurant and changed takeout options,” says Andrew Nathan, who owns The Cooked Goose in Westerly with his wife, Jennifer Gibson. “We roped off the front of the building with a huge sign: ‘STOP! Masks are required beyond this point … please help us keep everyone safe.’ We had a number of customers we didn’t see for a year; when they came out, it was like they came out of hibernation!”
Like other restaurants, Pazi’s Place is inspected frequently by Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) staff. “That is fine; we always have to be on our toes,” says Pamela Leite, who has owned the East Providence diner with her husband, Dan, since 2011. Ensuring that all staff are gloved and masked and sanitizing everything between customers takes more time and additional personnel, even with reduced capacity.
The Cooked Goose has maintained 50% capacity; even since RIDOH capacity limits have loosened. Going from 20 to eight indoor tables, with more outside, the restaurant maintains eight feet distance between each table. Early on, they did “deep dive” trainings around cleaning, sanitizing and mask-wearing. “Every time a bottle gets touched, it gets sanitized, right out in the open,” adds Nathan. “We just thought about the optics of how Jennifer and I would feel going into any restaurant.”
“It was definitely a team effort; while Johnny was putting up the [Plexiglas] barriers, I may have been on a Zoom call,” says Rhonda Hanaway of Covid-related tasks at Johnny’s. Even with its strong health-and-safety measures pre-Covid, they needed to add dividers, single-use salts and peppers, etc. “You have to keep customers and staff safe—so we worked through it,” she says. They stayed informed via Zoom, emails and conversations with RIDOH staff.
“We’ve had people tell us: ‘We come to Howie’s … because of how clean you are.” The restaurant, which opened mid-February 2019, had always washed the tables and sanitized menus and condiment shakers between use, even before Covid, says Bleich. She keeps extra masks on hand for forgetful customers. “We’ve never had a problem with Covid guidelines; RIDOH inspectors come in every 45 days and we get a 12 out of 12 [ranking].”
Of The Cooked Goose’s meals donated to Westerly’s first responders, Nathan says, “It’s not important that people know where the meals were from, but it was important that [the deliveries and donations] were done.” Nathan also prepared and dropped off meals for some of their regular customers whom he and Gibson knew were alone or isolated during the shutdown.
Pazi’s Place, which traditionally offers free meals to veterans on Veterans’ Day, comps extra sides when Butler Hospital places big orders, and early in Covid delivered free breakfasts to several area nursing homes.
Howie’s, which offers a special breakfast offering each weekend, pays it forward by buying products from small local businesses. Of one weekend’s special, Bleich says, “I think … there were nine different small food businesses featured in that one dish. By supporting Howie’s, you’re supporting numerous local companies.”
A regular supporter of local fundraisers and provider of free coffee for veterans on Veterans’ Day, Johnny’s stepped up to help families struggling with lost jobs, homeschooling obligations, etc. “Until we couldn’t do it anymore, when parents came in for breakfast, their kids got free breakfasts,” says Rhonda Hanaway.
“Training your staff from the moment you hire them and implementing sanitary standards from the get-go will be your biggest asset,” says Bleich at Howie’s. “Consistency is everything … whether [for] food or staff training or cleanliness.”
Now with a full liquor license (Bloody Mary, anyone?), Johnny’s Victory Diner embraced change. Concerned about making changes, given the diner’s long history, Johnny Hanaway says, “We lived by the old adage, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ … But we were forced to adapt … to cut hours, trim staff, reevaluate our menu offerings, adjust to online ordering and, throughout the changes, we witnessed our loyal customers adapting with us.”
“Flexibility … it’s so different [due to] Covid; it’s been much harder,” says Leite, for whom Pazi’s Place is named. “You really have to go with the flow and change things constantly.”
“The most important thing … is kindness” to customers, to staff and others, says Nathan. “We want to take care of our loyal staff and customers because they take such good care of us.”
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