Angie and Keith Hutto of Columbia enjoy lunch at Za’s Brick Oven Pizza restaurant on Devine Street Thursday, May 14.
Monday, May 11, 2020 was an auspicious day on the timeline of the history of the Covid-19 pandemic here in South Carolina, or was it? On that day, Governor Henry McMaster lifted the dine-in ban on restaurants, but with “strong restrictions.” Honestly, this reporter was a little excited about the prospect of going out to eat but with some trepidation. Even with the “strong restrictions” in place, would sitting in a half-full restaurant with lots of other people be safe?
Rebecca Foster, head bartender at Pizza Joint on Forest Drive, talked about the first night when the restrictions were lifted.
“It didn’t feel like a normal night since we were only at half capacity, but it was good,” she said. “People were excited to be out in public talking and seeing people’s faces. It got busy and even took a little longer to get orders out, but people didn’t seem to mind; they were just happy to be out.”
“Happy to be out,” seemed to be the prevailing sentiment when the managers at Henry’s Restaurant and Bar and Za’s Brick Oven Pizza, both on Devine Street, described their first night of “dine-in” after weeks of curbside and carryout only. From the activity many local restaurants have been experiencing since that Monday, it seems this has been a day many have been looking forward to. But will the modified/restricted “dinein opening” for business be enough to save many Midlands restaurants?
Open for business sign greets customers for dine-in at Henry’s Restaurant and Bar on Devine Street May 14. Henry’s has been open for patio and dine-in service since May 11.
Rick Gomez, owner of Pizza Joint on Forest Drive, described how his restaurant struggled during the carryout phase of the shutdown. “It was definitely a struggle and we were solidly in survival mode, he said. “We weren’t making any money but weren’t dying either. We lost at least 70 percent of our regular business during the carryout phase of shutdown. In the beginning we were really hurting.”
Erica Lees of Henry’s on Devine explained the same happened to their business with carryout only.
“We lost probably 80 percent of our business, she said. “We were selling a good amount of food, but we didn’t have the beverage sales, so it was hard at the beginning of the shutdown.”
Sofia Weir and Jacy Smith fold carryout boxes at The Pizza Joint on Forest Drive as they prepare for their shifts as servers.
Front of house manager of Za’s Brick Oven Pizza, Natalie Richardson, described the same drop in business for her restaurant.
“We probably lost 60 to 70 percent of our regular business during the carryout phase. It was hard, but with people supporting local businesses we were doing okay.”
People supporting local businesses or “our regulars” ordering carryout was a common theme for all three restaurants. Foster described the last night of full business before the ordered shutdown and carryout phase, “All our regulars came in. We were packed, but it was weird because none of us knew what would happen next. Our regulars are the best; they’ve taken good care of us. They’ve been carrying out and getting beers to go. It’s like a family here.”
Richardson said the same, “Our regulars have sustained us; they’ve been tipping more and coming in for carryout during the whole shutdown.”
Jacy Smith, a server at Pizza Joint, said, “The regulars tipped us very well during the carryout. I’m glad I could work; I’m glad we stayed open.” Smith did stay at work, but all three restaurants had to let workers go when the shutdown started.
Gomez said, “It was heartbreaking, but I had to let many of my workers go; we were down to only a few kitchen staff and a couple servers.”
Lees explained they had to shut down their locations in Northeast Columbia and Lexington, “We were running pretty barebones, down to a handful of employees. It was hard.”
Since the dine-in ban was lifted, were employees ready and willing to come back to work?
Gomez explained the dilemma for many of his workers and workers in general that have been laid off during the pandemic.
“I’ve contacted many of my staff, but honestly what they’re making on unemployment is more than they were making working,” he said. “They want to work, but I can’t blame them; it’s difficult for all of us in the restaurant business right now.”
How do you maintain safety for your customers and safety for your employees now that dine-in, even though restricted, is available?
Richardson explained, “We have opened more outdoor seating and have created space between the tables to maintain social distancing guidelines.”
Smith said, “All menus and tables are sanitized. Anything someone can touch is wiped down and you can only sit at every other table.”
There were signs taped to the tables at Pizza Joint that explained the DHEC guidelines for dine-in service. Lees said, “Since opening for dine-in on Monday, our customers have been great about waiting for a table to open and trying to maintain their distance; they’re just glad to be out.”
Carryout and curbside service helped all three of these restaurants survive during the shutdown, but will a partial opening be a model that will sustain their business over the long run?
Gomez is very optimistic about the future. “Yes, I’m excited, we can at least cover our bills and maybe even chip away at the hole we’ve been in. I just hope people stay excited about going out, and we maintain our business,” he said.
Lees and Richardson also expressed optimism for their restaurants even with only a partial opening.
“As of today, (Thursday, May 14),” Lees explained, “We’ve been very busy with regulars and many new customers as well. As long we can get the food we need and supply chains aren’t interrupted, we’ll be fine.”
According to the National Restaurant Association website: In 2018 there were 9,669 eating and drinking locations in South Carolina, employing 234,000 people and generating 10.7 billion dollars for the South Carolina economy.
Will restaurants in South Carolina survive this pandemic? Will the “strong restrictions” work? Will the “going out to eat” excitement be sustained with all the restrictions?
When asked if their restaurants could survive another shutdown like we just went through, Gomez, Lees, and Richardson all expressed cautious optimism they would, but hoped it’s something they never have to consider again.
Leave a Reply