Restaurants during the pandemic - Charcoal Guidos

 

By Francis Meuse

              The nationwide pandemic forced the permanent closure of more than 100,000 restaurants, while hundreds of thousands of others are in serious financial troubles.

              This has led to millions of workers to lose their jobs and others asked to work in unsafe conditions.

              The restaurant industry has predicted a 225 billion dollar loss, according to the National Restaurant Association. These numbers have affected a wide range of workers, from students trying to make part time money, to full time workers relying on a steady paycheck to support themselves and families.

              Lou Giovanetti, owner of Charcoal Guido’s in Waltham, Massachusetts, said his Italian restaurant was hit hard.

              “There’s a thin line of margin in the restaurant business,” said Giovanetti.

              He decided to close dine-in eating at Charcoal Guido’s due to the state lockdown. “Our staff went from 27 workers to only four workers,” said Giovanetti.

              The restaurant plans to use the “hibernation” phase during the incoming winter months.

                   The hibernation plan is a strategic way to keep restaurants operating, while keeping them from losing money. “This includes high margin foods, take out only, and limited menu sizes,” said Giovanetti.

                   “We never know what’s going to happen next, since the governor could decide to go back into lockdown at any time,” said Giovanetti. Those in the restaurant industry have tried to do many things to make up for the loss of revenue during the lockdown.

                   One idea includes outdoor dining for restaurants, which Charcoal Guido’s decided against, even though other restaurants on Moody Street created outdoor dining areas for those who choose to go out.

                 “An outdoor dining area can cost restaurants more than $20,000 to run,” said Giovanetti. Tables, chairs, umbrellas, gas tanks, and heating tanks are all factors that need to be paid for when creating outdoor dining.

                 “Poor weather can cause the whole outdoor dining operation to get ruined for a night, or even longer depending on the weather,” said Giovanetti. Many owners ask if outdoor dining is worth their businesses time.

                 Governor Baker announced new executive orders on reopening due to the rising Covid-19 cases in Massachusetts on the morning of October 29th. “There are many more important decisions us restaurant owners will be forced to make over the next few months,” said Giovanetti.

                 Although many dine-in restaurants are struggling to re-open, the fast food and primary take out spots have rebounded at a much quicker pace.

                 The convenience of picking up quick food, without having to come in contact with other individuals, has been viewed as a factor for this.

                  Kevin McAvoy, part time worker at BnF Pizza, saw his hours increase. “Take out restaurants make it easy for people to get food without having to worry about cooking or coming in contact with the virus,” said McAvoy.

                 “We didn’t have to worry about laying off workers, instead hours were cut for a period of time,” said McAvoy. Unlike many major restaurants in Waltham and around Massachusetts, sub shops and fast food places have been able to see the growth of their companies over the past few months.

                    According to The Wall Street journal, fast food restaurants and pizza shops have seen sales grow between 10% and 20% during the Pandemic. The advantage of having mobile apps, drive-thru services, and quick store pickups has helped the industry surge over recent months.

               David Ellison, a sixteen year old high school student, said the Coronavirus Pandemic has impacted him along with other members of his family. As a bus boy at Tuscan kitchen, Ellison has relied on a part time paycheck over the last year and a half.

               “Ever since I got the job at Tuscan kitchen, I have been able to pay for things on my own without the help of my parents,” said Ellison. A three month government lockdown, left workers from waiters and waitresses, to host and bus boys their jobless.

                “Over 20 workers, including my mother, were told we would not be working for a while,” Ellison said.

                This caused uncertainty in Ellison’s household. “Our family struggled for a bit considering the circumstances, but my parents were able to bounce back after a while,” Ellison said.

                Although his mother received unemployment benefits, Ellison did not. “My age and the amount of time I was able to work, made it difficult for me to collect any sort of unemployment payment,” Ellison said.

               “The virus has caused this problem for millions of people around the world, but I hope a possible second lockdown doesn’t cost my job again,” said Ellison.

               Ellison and other restaurants workers rely on tips and other payments week to week. “Another lockdown would be hard for my family to deal with,” said Ellison.

               His mother, Collette Ellison, worked as a waitress at the Tuscan Kitchen for the last 13 years.

               “As waitresses, we rely on building relationships with our customers,” she said. Although, the pandemic has forced her and other workers to be more cautious and more distant from those in the restaurant.

               “restrictions on the number of customers allowed in my work has created less opportunity and chances to work,” she said.

               Due to the pandemic, the restaurant industry has been required to make changes over the past six months and faced new rules by the government to reopen.

                 These restrictions included a limit on the number of people allowed in one area at a time, including a six person per table limit, disposables menus, and the number of workers allowed inside.