It's Not Business as Usual
Navigating Next Steps Through a Phased-In Approach to Reopening
More than three months ago, Governor Gina Raimondo ordered restaurants to shut down dine-in service to avoid spreading the invisible and destructive coronavirus and the disease it causes, Covid- 19. Today, with the fast-moving virus continuing to wreak havoc for small businesses, amid ever-evolving regulatory changes and multi-phased reopening plans, restaurants across Rhode Island and the nation remain caught in an unpredictable crossfire.
“We estimate that 80% of the [restaurant] industry is unemployed,” said Rhode Island Hospitality Association President/CEO Dale Venturini in late May, who noted that the pandemic has permanently closed Eleven Forty Nine Restaurant in Warwick, Red Stripe in East Greenwich, and Nick’s on Westminster, Luxe Burger Bar and Acoustic Java, all in Providence
Nationally, Business Insider reports that the restaurant industry is among the top 10 industries affected by Covid-19, with a 48% job loss from February to April; a National Restaurant Association poll found that two-thirds of all restaurant employees lost jobs due to the virus.
“The industry is not cookie-cutter … we can’t create a rule that fits all,” said Venturini. In-house dining requires “a partnership with government, industry and the community.”
Back in March, Edible Rhody reached out to several local restaurateurs to get their perspectives on the challenges brought by Covid-19. We published their initial accounts online and we’ve been following their stories since then. Kristin and Matt Gennuso of Chez Pascal and The Wurst Kitchen; Brian Kingsford and Jen Matta of Bacaro; Ellen Slattery of Gracie’s Ventures (Gracie’s and Ellie’s); Beau Vestal of New Rivers; and Derek Wagner of Nick’s on Broadway are all working through their own unique and challenge-filled road maps to recovery.
THE PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM (PPP) IS NO PANACEA
Widespread confusion and uncertainty left restaurateurs wondering about the PPP’s risks and benefits; Chez Pascal & The Wurst Kitchen applied for and received PPP funds, but will not spend them without further clarification. Said Ellen Slattery, proprietor of Gracie’s Ventures, “The way it is was [originally] set up would have been a struggle for us; but we are still treating it as a loan. I am thankful that our [legislators] realized how harmful the original structure was for our industry and made improvements.”
“I would never have taken the money if it had been understood better,” said Wagner, chef/owner of Nick’s on Broadway. “PPP is a Band-Aid for an initial stopgap … but business isn’t going back to where it was.”
While neither Chez Pascal nor Bacaro launched GoFundMe campaigns, Gracie’s Ventures, New Rivers and Nick’s on Broadway all launched campaigns to help employees. “If it hadn’t been for the [GoFundMe campaign], I don’t think … we would have made it,” said Wagner, who estimated he lost 75% of his business over these past few months and was forced to shutter his newest venture, Nick’s on Westminster. He, like others interviewed, expressed deep appreciation for their loyal, supportive customers.
REOPENING RHODE ISLAND’S RESTAURANTS
Under the state’s Phase I reopening that went into effect May 18, Rhode Island restaurants could begin offering al fresco dining. That doesn’t appeal to everyone, given the myriad new restrictions and requirements associated with such dining options.
“I don’t want to put myself, my staff or my customers in that position of risk … I don’t think it’d be a fun experience for anyone,” said Kristin Gennuso, who owns Chez Pascal & The Wurst Kitchen with her husband, Matt. “God bless those who can plan for [onsite dining]; it’s not something that we want to venture into at this point.” Nor is outside dining feasible for Gracie’s or New Rivers, the owners report. At Ellie’s, guests can eat their takeaway treats at outdoor tables.
Wagner spent time and energy seeking required permits to offer outside dining, which demands a massive pivot to evaluate how to do the right thing while keeping employees and customers safe.
In the meantime, other than Gracie’s, all of these venues continue to provide some takeaway/ carryout. “It’s up to the restaurants to be clever and creative and find ways to make their takeout food stand out,” said New Rivers Chef/Co-owner Vestal. “It sounds a lot simpler than it really is.” Eager to make these customer relationships less transactional, Vestal offers a small surprise to make his customers feel special.
On May 22, Governor Raimondo announced that, under Phase II, restaurants could reopen, effective June 1, but with tight controls and new protocols, including a cap at 50% capacity.
“We are looking to create a more intimate setting so guests feel the warmth and comfort while being safely apart,” Slattery said of hopeful plans to open Gracie’s for dinner this August. Likewise, the team at Bacaro is focusing on operating at 50% capacity, said Matta, Bacaro general manager/co-owner. Plans to open their second restaurant, called OTRA, on South Main, are still in the works.
GOVERNMENT: HELP OR HINDRANCE?
While many of those we interviewed acknowledge that government officials are doing the best they can, there is an understandable desire for timely and specific guidance on restaurant protocols.
“There’s very little discussion of what those protocols might look like so we can … plan,” said Vestal, who appreciates the state’s distribution to small employers of free sanitizers and masks.
“We listen every day to the possible ‘new rules’ and keep them at arm’s length … as what is said today will most likely change tomorrow,” said Kingsford, Bacaro chef/owner. Of his plans to serve meals outside, Wagner wonders: How many tables can I put in the parking lot and patio? How many staff are willing and available to return to work? How can I safely serve condiments?
Calling the Rhode Island Hospitality Association an invaluable resource, Kristin Gennuso said, “I funnel my questions to them and they try to find answers.”
While Rhode Island’s close-knit chefs’ community continues to share experiences and ideas, Vestal said, “At the end of the day, every restaurant is physically different with different needs.”
In contrast, Kingsford, who believes more people feel alone in these unchartered waters, said, “This pandemic … isolates us not only from each other, but from the path that we once knew to be the way.”
CHEFS PIVOT AND ADAPT
Beyond carryout and al fresco meals, Covid- 19 has led to other creative problem-solving. Wagner and Matt Gennuso are whipping up appealing new menu offerings and meal kits for carryout. At Ellie’s, which had to completely rebuild its website to handle carryout business, staff enjoy offering weekly virtual wine and cooking sessions. Enthusiasm is widespread for the Covid-19-driven easing of the state’s antiquated blue laws that now allow restaurants to sell beer, wine and mixed cocktails with carryout orders.
New Rivers is offering no-contact takeout via a new online ordering portal and, as always, by phone. In addition to holding staff meetings through Zoom, Bacaro is exploring an app to allow dine-in customers to order and pay for meals from their own mobile devices. To further reduce the potential of hand-to-hand contamination, bottles of water and wine placed on tables will be self-serve and customers will fill to-go containers for leftover food themselves.
With no recipe to follow and with vastly limited resources due to huge losses in revenue, these dedicated individuals soldier on, preparing delectable food, caring for their employees’ and customers’ wellbeing, and planning for safe and business-viable reopenings.
As for the future, Slattery said: “I imagine us going through many phases for the next two to three years … Let’s continue to be grateful each day.”
Bacaro 262 S. Water St., Providence. 401.751.3700; BacaroRestaurant.net
Chez Pascal & The Wurst Kitchen 960 Hope St., Providence. 401.421.4422; Chez-Pascal.com
Ellie’s 225 Weybosset St., Providence. 401.563.3333; ElliesProv.com
Gracie’s Opening in Aug. 194 Westminster St., Providence. 401.272.7811; GraciesProv.com
New Rivers 7 Steeple St., Providence. 401.751.0350; NewRiversRestaurant.com
Nicks on Broadway 500 Broadway, Providence. 401.421.0286. NicksOnBroadway.com
