Restaurants in the era of social distancing
Restaurants in the era of social distancing
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Post #61 - March 26th, 2020, 6:46 pmhttps://blog.yelp.com/2020/03/helping-l ... -questions
https://twitter.com/andymcmillan/status ... 64064?s=19
Just saw this on twitter and it's despicable. Yelp/gofundme auto created "fundraisers" for restaurants and then set default "tips" at 15% that go back to themselves. Wow, that is some deplorable shit.
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Post #62 - March 26th, 2020, 7:22 pmWhyBeeSea wrote:https://blog.yelp.com/2020/03/helping-local-businesses-raise-money-matching-donations#Frequently-asked-questions
https://twitter.com/andymcmillan/status ... 64064?s=19
Just saw this on twitter and it's despicable. Yelp/gofundme auto created "fundraisers" for restaurants and then set default "tips" at 15% that go back to themselves. Wow, that is some deplorable shit.
Yelp has been despicable for a long, long time. This moves it a whole new level -- but still, one it and it alone holds. The industry's clear leader in reprehensible.
=R=By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself. --Kambei Shimada
Every human interaction is an opportunity for disappointment --RS
There's a horse loose in a hospital --JM
That don't impress me much --Shania Twain
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Post #63 - March 26th, 2020, 7:35 pmYelp adjusted their practice: https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2 ... ssion=true
I think the 15% tip is just the standard default for all gofundme donations. It’s easy to see and adjust when you check out.
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Post #64 - March 27th, 2020, 9:28 pmEl Ideas was fantastic this Thursday. Great cassoulet and a version of the ice cream soup with fries, and cookies! A smiling Bill at the curb and 100% goes to the staff. A great break from our new boring routine.
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Post #65 - March 28th, 2020, 7:15 amDavid Chang isn’t sure the restaurant industry will survive Covid-19.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 ... vid19.htmlNever order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
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Post #66 - March 28th, 2020, 9:56 amChicago restaurants Big Star, Publican, Avec and more shutting down all delivery and carryout, effective tonight
https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavi ... story.htmlNever order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
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Post #67 - March 28th, 2020, 7:29 pmAvec was going to be my treat for getting through the week. After they cancelled we pivoted to the ever amazing Daisies, which really hit the spot, and was a very clean, easy handoff, highly recommend?
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Post #68 - March 29th, 2020, 11:21 amMy concern about so many restaurants converting over to carry-out during the covid-19 crisis is that it's not sustainable from either end. Restaurants that typically rely on dine-in probably won't be able to generate enough revenue to cover their expenses. Diners probably cannot afford to pay in perpetuity the prices being charged, especially for the amount of food being served (this has already been alluded to in several posts). If it works, great. But I think it portends some serious industry upheaval not-too-far down the road, as many others have already posited.
=R=By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself. --Kambei Shimada
Every human interaction is an opportunity for disappointment --RS
There's a horse loose in a hospital --JM
That don't impress me much --Shania Twain
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Post #69 - March 29th, 2020, 11:54 amronnie_suburban wrote:My concern about so many restaurants converting over to carry-out during the covid-19 crisis is that it's not sustainable from either end. Restaurants that typically rely on dine-in probably won't be able to generate enough revenue to cover their expenses. Diners probably cannot afford to pay in perpetuity the prices being charged, especially for the amount of food being served (this has already been alluded to in several posts). If it works, great. But I think it portends some serious industry upheaval not-too-far down the road, as many others have already posited.
=R=
At the other end you have restaurants such as The Barn in Evanston with substantially lower prices for their pickup program.
https://www.thebarnsteakhouse.com/menus/#dinner
https://www.thebarnsteakhouse.com/
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Post #70 - March 29th, 2020, 11:56 amscottsol wrote:ronnie_suburban wrote:My concern about so many restaurants converting over to carry-out during the covid-19 crisis is that it's not sustainable from either end. Restaurants that typically rely on dine-in probably won't be able to generate enough revenue to cover their expenses. Diners probably cannot afford to pay in perpetuity the prices being charged, especially for the amount of food being served (this has already been alluded to in several posts). If it works, great. But I think it portends some serious industry upheaval not-too-far down the road, as many others have already posited.
=R=
At the other end you have restaurants such as The Barn in Evanston with substantially lower prices for their pickup program.
https://www.thebarnsteakhouse.com/menus/#dinner
https://www.thebarnsteakhouse.com/
Yep. You just have to wonder if they'll maintain a level of volume that will make their new scheme sustainable.
=R=By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself. --Kambei Shimada
Every human interaction is an opportunity for disappointment --RS
There's a horse loose in a hospital --JM
That don't impress me much --Shania Twain
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Post #71 - March 29th, 2020, 12:10 pm
It comes down to how one views sustainability in this situation. It comes down to being better than any other available alternative, more than what we typically think of as a sustainable business model. Even if you're losing money via carry-out and delivery only, with the right amount of lean staffing and marketing, it's the best you can do. The benefit can also come down the road - if you maintain a connection to your customer base and community, you're better positioned if you make it through the shutdown for business to return. Sustainability is just the least bad option for now.ronnie_suburban wrote:You just have to wonder if they'll maintain a level of volume that will make their new scheme sustainable.
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Post #72 - March 29th, 2020, 12:20 pmbweiny wrote:
It comes down to how one views sustainability in this situation. It comes down to being better than any other available alternative, more than what we typically think of as a sustainable business model. Even if you're losing money via carry-out and delivery only, with the right amount of lean staffing and marketing, it's the best you can do. The benefit can also come down the road - if you maintain a connection to your customer base and community, you're better positioned if you make it through the shutdown for business to return. Sustainability is just the least bad option for now.ronnie_suburban wrote:You just have to wonder if they'll maintain a level of volume that will make their new scheme sustainable.
Yeah, my definition of sustainable is being enough to keep a place open until this is over . . . and after.
=R=By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself. --Kambei Shimada
Every human interaction is an opportunity for disappointment --RS
There's a horse loose in a hospital --JM
That don't impress me much --Shania Twain
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Post #73 - March 29th, 2020, 12:24 pmFor those not refreshing Instagram every 10 minutes (congratulations), I just wanted to share Andy Ricker's post to the @pokpokpdx account. I was going to link but I have so much time I'll just transcribe it here for your ease:Dear Portland,
Today I made the decision to close all Pok Pok Restaurants for the duration of the Covid19 crisis. I did not make this decision with a heavy heart; I made it with determination and a sense of urgency and with regret I did not have the strength to do so more quickly.
Yesterday my compatriot of the kitchen, Chef Floyd Cardoz, passed away from the virus. Floyd was a groundbreaking chef, an inspiration and mentor to many chefs and a kind human being. His loss should be a wake-up call to the restaurant community. We are all vulnerable.
The fact is, there is no way to 100% safely deploy a crew of workers to operate a restaurant kitchen for delivery and to go as we have been doing for the last week. By nature, kitchens are close quarter operations and though we are trained to work cleanly and with great care to follow health code and have instituted a strict protocol around the pandemic, we are not trained to keep a workspace protected from a deadly virus; that is some trained medical professional shit. I simply cannot bear the thought of one of our team becoming ill for the sake of preparing some chicken wings.
Keeping our kitchens open is a microcosm of the tension between the economy and public health that is playing out on the world stage. The fact is, we all need to stay at home to stop the spread of Covid19, all of us, now. Pok Pok is a restaurant, not a hospital, not a fire station, not a police station, not a vital food delivery service. Though it is nice to have a familiar food available during this time of isolation people do not need fish sauce wings to survive...
There's more about the bill that Congress just passed, etc. but I think the quoted part contributes the most to the conversation. What restaurants and their workers need is simply outside of what takeout and all of these measures can offer.
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Post #74 - March 29th, 2020, 8:06 pmFrom Phil Vittel’s article in today’s Trib:
Michael Lachowicz, chef and owner of George Trois, Aboyer and Silencieux restaurants in Winnetka, described the programs as “a Band-Aid on a gaping head wound.”
“Every little bit counts,” he said. “We will be applying for sure; it will provide liquidity until we get on firm ground again, whenever that may be. In the interim, I’m just above break-even with curbside carryout. And those gratuities are all helping out my hourly employees“
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Post #75 - March 29th, 2020, 8:34 pmscottsol wrote:From Phil Vittel’s article in today’s Trib:
Michael Lachowicz, chef and owner of George Trois, Aboyer and Silencieux restaurants in Winnetka, described the programs as “a Band-Aid on a gaping head wound.”
“Every little bit counts,” he said. “We will be applying for sure; it will provide liquidity until we get on firm ground again, whenever that may be. In the interim, I’m just above break-even with curbside carryout. And those gratuities are all helping out my hourly employees“
Before this recent situation began, Chef Lachowicz was at Culinary Historians. There is a lot he said about the restaurant industry having issues long before.
Regards,
Cathy2Cathy2
"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast
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Post #76 - March 30th, 2020, 7:12 amWe actually had take-out from Aboyer last night. Like some of the other restaurants (Alinea for example) the meal needed to be finished at home. Last night's special was a Beef Wellington that needed about 15 minutes of baking. I think this is a clever idea as the effort is minimal but the food is then fresh out of the oven. They are thinking beyond their normal menu for what will work in these different times.
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Post #77 - March 30th, 2020, 9:09 amWhat I am wondering about is whether this pandemic will alter the cuisine that we desire or will we return to modernist or farm-to-table cuisine after the pandemic is in the rearview mirror.
What restaurants are serving is, understandably, comfort food, not challenging works of art. These are dishes that can be transported and served without benefit of staff. We ordered Beef Wellington and Creme Brulee from Alinea, and it was excellent. But it was not the kind of complex, thoughtful, provocative dish for which Grant is admired. It was not farm-to-table, gathered cuisine, or molecular cuisine. But it was rich and flavorful.
As I ate it, I wondered if this cuisine that we are now receiving from Alinea, Temporis, George Trois, and the other high end restaurants doing take-out will be the new normal, or will they go back to creating dishes as if this moment is a blip. Just as the 2000's were the decade of Molecular Cuisine (Cuisine Agape), the 2010s were Farm to Table (Gathered Cuisine), will the 2020's be the decade of Neo-Comfort Cuisine: an army of baked chickens with sprigs of rosemary and with Coq au Vin as our Nitrogenated Amuse.
What will dining at Alinea, Elizabeth, or Schwa be like in June (with the warm hope that all of them and more will survive - and we as well)?Toast, as every breakfaster knows, isn't really about the quality of the bread or how it's sliced or even the toaster. For man cannot live by toast alone. It's all about the butter. -- Adam Gopnik
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Post #78 - March 30th, 2020, 9:30 amGot etta's daily dinner last night. It was really good- focaccia, little gem salad, roasted carrots, chicken thighs, pizza, rigatoni with meat sauce and coconut cream pie for $65. High quality food that you'd expect from etta, though it was a bit cold. Still well worth it.
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Post #79 - March 30th, 2020, 1:56 pmRick Bayless and US Foods partner for restaurant-worker food and income relief
https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavi ... story.htmlNever order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
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Post #80 - March 30th, 2020, 7:26 pmGAF wrote:What I am wondering about is whether this pandemic will alter the cuisine that we desire or will we return to modernist or farm-to-table cuisine after the pandemic is in the rearview mirror.
What restaurants are serving is, understandably, comfort food, not challenging works of art. These are dishes that can be transported and served without benefit of staff. We ordered Beef Wellington and Creme Brulee from Alinea, and it was excellent. But it was not the kind of complex, thoughtful, provocative dish for which Grant is admired. It was not farm-to-table, gathered cuisine, or molecular cuisine. But it was rich and flavorful.
As I ate it, I wondered if this cuisine that we are now receiving from Alinea, Temporis, George Trois, and the other high end restaurants doing take-out will be the new normal, or will they go back to creating dishes as if this moment is a blip. Just as the 2000's were the decade of Molecular Cuisine (Cuisine Agape), the 2010s were Farm to Table (Gathered Cuisine), will the 2020's be the decade of Neo-Comfort Cuisine: an army of baked chickens with sprigs of rosemary and with Coq au Vin as our Nitrogenated Amuse.
What will dining at Alinea, Elizabeth, or Schwa be like in June (with the warm hope that all of them and more will survive - and we as well)?
Not to be overly Darwinistic and/or tautological, but we will get the restaurants left--i.e., the ones that survive. Alinea will survive; Ever--or anything that has lots of capital available to it--will, too.* Pizza will live; pizza will likely thrive post-Chicxulub, even. I suspect we'll get a lot of bakeries, too.
Point being: the trend may be determined by what's alive on the other side, not necessarily consumer whims.
(*Side note: I do worry about Elizabeth. Iliana sent an email today offering a private dinner for 10 if you bought $1000 in gift certificates...)
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Post #81 - March 30th, 2020, 7:33 pmchezbrad wrote:(*Side note: I do worry about Elizabeth. Iliana sent an email today offering a private dinner for 10 if you bought $1000 in gift certificates...)
On the plus side, they sold out in minutes.
=R=By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself. --Kambei Shimada
Every human interaction is an opportunity for disappointment --RS
There's a horse loose in a hospital --JM
That don't impress me much --Shania Twain
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Post #82 - March 30th, 2020, 7:39 pmchezbrad wrote:Not to be overly Darwinistic and/or tautological, but we will get the restaurants left--i.e., the ones that survive. Alinea will survive; Ever--or anything that has lots of capital available to it--will, too.
This is why all of my dollars during this time will go to less-capitalized businesses. Alinea doesn't need my help.
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Post #83 - March 30th, 2020, 7:40 pmThe real question is that after this economic downturn, how many consumers are really going to have the money to eat out as much as they were? It does not help that many restaurants have taken significant increases over the past three years.
Also, many of us are getting back into the habit of cooking our own meals daily. Since we have the time, we have been experimenting with our air fryers and instapots. I have been receiving dozens of recipe e-mails (many of which I do not remember signing up for) and the like.
Do remember that after the financial crisis in 2008-09, people started adjusting the way that they purchased consumer product goods. People who had always purchased the big national brands started to shop at ALDI or started buying the private labels. I would not doubt that there will be significant changes in the way and frequency that we purchase meals.
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Post #84 - March 30th, 2020, 7:50 pmronnie_suburban wrote:chezbrad wrote:(*Side note: I do worry about Elizabeth. Iliana sent an email today offering a private dinner for 10 if you bought $1000 in gift certificates...)
On the plus side, they sold out in minutes.
=R=
The email wasn't worded too clearly. My interpretation was that the $1000 paid for the the dinner (still a good deal!); not that you got a $1000 plus a dinner.
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Post #85 - March 30th, 2020, 7:53 pmDarren72 wrote:ronnie_suburban wrote:chezbrad wrote:(*Side note: I do worry about Elizabeth. Iliana sent an email today offering a private dinner for 10 if you bought $1000 in gift certificates...)
On the plus side, they sold out in minutes.
=R=
The email wasn't worded too clearly. My interpretation was that the $1000 paid for the the dinner (still a good deal!); not that you got a $1000 plus a dinner.
Yes but I believe the first 10, which sold out very fast, were for private dinners with pairings, for 10.
=R=By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself. --Kambei Shimada
Every human interaction is an opportunity for disappointment --RS
There's a horse loose in a hospital --JM
That don't impress me much --Shania Twain
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Post #86 - March 30th, 2020, 8:06 pmRight. We considering buying it, but worried that if we weren't one of the first ones, and thus didn't get the dinner, we'd end up with $1000 in gift certificates. We eat there regularly, but it would still take us a while to work through that much.
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Post #87 - March 30th, 2020, 8:14 pmjlawrence01 wrote:Also, many of us are getting back into the habit of cooking our own meals daily.
Honestly, as the prospect of each new day of doing dishes three times dawns, I am seriously reevaluating my previous overly-uncompromising positions on pneumonia/intubation/death.
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Post #88 - March 30th, 2020, 8:40 pmAside from the impact on our budgets, and aside from any improvements in our cooking skills... Even when a covid-19 vaccine becomes available, I'm sure many of us won't feel comfortable going out to eat in a crowded restaurant for a long, long time to come. (Or going out to sit in a crowd at a sporting event or concert, either.) I think it could be years before the restaurant industry returns to the level of business it had been doing pre-pandemic.Last edited by nsxtasy on March 31st, 2020, 8:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #89 - March 31st, 2020, 4:46 amIf the city will relax their rules after this over, I’m sure that food trucks would be out in force to fill in the gaps of closed restaurants.
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Post #90 - March 31st, 2020, 7:49 amcilantro wrote:Honestly, as the prospect of each new day of doing dishes three times dawns, I am seriously reevaluating my previous overly-uncompromising positions on pneumonia/intubation/death.
I might not be as far gone in my reevaluation, but yeah, we're running the dishwasher A LOT.
-Mary
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