It’s hard to wrap my head around the restaurant biz post-pandemic due to the sheer enormity alone. Please take this in: We’re talking about 10% of the overall American workforce — 15.1 million people in the restaurant industry! I remain steadfast that we will find viable solutions, so the entire industry does not implode, including all those who service, supply, drive, deliver, ship, grow, harvest, raise, slaughter, photograph, advertise, invest and so forth. We are going to try and focus on solutions and ideas here.

Many in the industry, including Chefs Tom Colicchio (listen to May 7th NPR’s Fresh Air — “Table for none”) and Jose Andres (with Dr. Fauci on Instagram live, June 3rd, 2020), have voiced their ideas on the airways, mostly about moving forward, how to change, food waste in manufacturing and government legislation to save our industry. Colicchio has been instrumental in forming an Independent Restaurant Coalition putting together a Federal Restaurant Stabilization Package to lobby Congress for funding. The funding could help independently owned restaurants weather the next 8-months-to-1 year by paying staff and buying products for making food to feed the community. Then, when the time comes, go back to a new form of normal.

In general, the lost revenue is staggering; if you reverse the flow of goods and supplies back to the growers and ranchers, how many businesses will fall ill by these closures and changes? A daunting vision to ponder.

Adopting new kitchen staff protocols and menu modification is an obvious and inevitable reality. Becoming a meal pick-up site, using all local suppliers furnishing the ingredients for a meal for two or family size is one wave of the future, as is morphing into a specialized food outlet. These ideas get money to flow back to those who work in the industry as well as those who grow, raise and supply our food.

One issue that has been raised is the need to go back to smaller regional distributors instead of the giant monopolies currently in place. It would help with how we connect the dots in our supply chain to increase the flow of goods to help feed the growing numbers that are applying for SNAP/food assistance.

In my last blog, one industry responder commented that he felt a new wave of restaurants would step in and replace the shuttered establishments. I believe in doing whatever we can to save the neighborhood and small-town restaurants. They are an essential part of every community and culture. Losing too many of these establishments would be heartbreaking to all. I also have to believe that we will band together to support the independent restaurant industry.

Please share: What is your local restaurant doing to morph, be safe and still be part of the community? How are they dealing with the seating capacity being mandated?

The turmoil and civil unrest surrounding the death of George Floyd and so many others cannot be overlooked this week. We are a family of WP, and we have vowed to educate ourselves, donate and talk openly about this uncomfortable narrative that none of us should be avoiding.

Live well...

America’s restaurants, part two

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