.jpg;w=960;h=640;bgcolor=000000)
Last week, the question was “How are restaurants coping?” Here we are now under a lengthened stay-at-home order, so we unhappily return to the topic, and dig deeper. It really is important to ask how much more can the industry take?
We love them. We need them. Restaurants at key geographic locations are essential. Along highway routes, they not only provide nourishment, but also house other services. Clean washrooms at the Espanola turn-off are the first stop heading west. And east, Kate’s pies -- and all the foodstuffs in her emporium, Kate's Kountry Kitchen -- are another reason to take your foot off the gas.
Clear Sky at the Sudbury airport -- a favourite for a soup or sandwich while waiting for arrivals or pre-flight -- surely watched traffic diminish with some trepidation and initially hoped for improvement. When flying to a February 2020 funeral service in Washington, DC murmurs were that empty terminals and lounges were surely only a minor blip. Then, it all dipped even more radically.
Jean-Mathieu Chenier, director of marketing, airport excellence and innovation at the Greater Sudbury Airport, shared startling numbers indicating a near 90-per-cent decline in passenger volume.
With no Porter aircraft scheduled and Air Canada presenting only a 6 a.m. to Toronto followed by a single mid-afternoon return, you can imagine the impact.
And now, no flights to the Caribbean nor to Mexico. The prime minister is telling Canadians to cancel March Break plans. New restrictions on international travel and quarantines are in place.
Of course, you can’t just go into the airport -- or many other public places – unless you have a ticket or other valid reason. Take Laurentian University or Cambrian College. They both housed coffee and fast food options. In-facility vendors have shut up shop in these facilities, and other now-low-traffic venues.
From Kim Lair, director of ancillary business operations at Cambrian College: “We have closed food services on campus as one of our many strategies aimed at minimizing the potential for transmission of COVID-19 at Cambrian. Those students that are on campus for hands-on learning have access to a number of socially distanced study and eating halls to utilize between labs should they bring their own lunches. Otherwise, activity is kept to a minimum for the safety of our students and staff that are on site.”
Visualize beyond Sudbury. “I think many [restaurants] are on the edge, and if things don't open up soon, lots will close by spring -- it's getting quite drastic,” said Ben Farella, owner of North Bay’s gd2go.
His operations have pivoted around drive-thru, delivery and curbside. As a former donut shop, the drive-thru has proven to be a real asset. Ordering with a strong slant to digital options “… also, exploiting grocery boxes , ready to heat-and-eat options and anything that helps people eat at home” has been central to his property’s resiliency.
His menu features healthy choices and addresses the needs of a diverse population. Don’t forget to try the ramen.
Food is not going out of style. Eating still happens. We may be cooking at home, but everyone appreciates plates prepared delicious by local chefs. Everyone can choose a different dish, from a menu with options. There is no prep and washing up is a breeze. How does it make you feel?
For my part, a simple pasta carbonara made at home is great, but I just can’t match the bowls of Respect is Burning no matter how hard I try. So, from time-to-time I order take-out. Others hone their home-grown culinary skills.
“We're not much for going out. As far as now, [we] don't know of closures,” said Greg Oldenburg. “But, I have acquaintances that work at ACC [the Air Canada Centre, now the Scotia Bank Arena, has been completely shuttered] as hosts, and cooks most earned hundreds of dollars game/concert nights with private box service. Usually working 200 nights a year.”
Ouch! How are individuals making up for the loss of income?
Maher Khalil believes that right now “employees will either move on from the industry or cement their position in a new and more demanding environment.” What of the future? “The impact will have some lasting effects on jobs and job turnover, however, in a year or two there will be ample new establishments to welcome a new generation of young and eager workers. Hopefully the provincial government will look into modifying some of the laws and regulations regarding the industry to insure the prosperity of this very important life style part of the economy.”
Khalil is not alone in planning for the spring and years ahead.
Rachelle Rocha, R.Ph. and pharmacist/owner of Seasons Pharmacy Culinaria on Lorne Street is also looking ahead. “We are all hunkering down. We aren’t going for lunch, but when the world returns to normal, we might consider a farm-to-table chip truck. So much depends on the mood of the future.”
What will that mood be? Legendary Calgary Chef Eric Hendry is an industry leader, and one to watch not just in western Canada. In a phone conversation he had this to say about looking back at 2020 and predicting what’s next.
“Yes, it was an extremely strange year. I am working on opening a new place this year. It's going slower than I want it to, but that's just part of the process. Oh man! Advice right now? I would have to have an insane amount of ego to think that I could offer anything valuable in the form of advice.
“I've been thinking a lot about the future right now, but then a Ray Dalio quote comes to mind: ‘He who lives by the crystal ball will eat shattered glass.’ I think this pandemic is and will be a great time to focus on community and feeding the people who are in need. I honestly love to look at a blank slate, so it's a really exciting time.”
It is this positive attitude that shapes what he says next.
“I think that goes back to community. New ways of collaborating with your community. Maybe now it's not so important to be flying in the hottest chef from 'City X', but finding new ways to collaborate with entities outside the hospitality industry. This kind of stuff isn't new, I suppose, but maybe some things have been overlooked or seemed too far outside the box.”
Neither Hendry nor Khalil knows what it will look like exactly.
“I think there will be a resurgence of restaurants in the future as well as innovation and new concepts and new ways to serve the public, and hospitality in general can capitalize on the availability of very good and experienced workers on all fronts,” Khalil said.
Undergoing renovations during this time is perhaps a good -- or maybe a bold -- move. Downtown Sudbury’s Sue Peters at The Cedar Nest is taking this time to renew, refresh, reframe.
“We are hopeful that the hospitality industry will survive the pandemic in Sudbury and that we will be at the forefront of offering our guests a truly innovated dining experience.”
That’s the spirit!
So what else can a restaurant do right now? Jody and Curtis Macdonald have been thinking out of the box. Their landmark is "the lighthouse" on Lasalle, Teklenburg's.
“It is used in reference all the time when people are asking for our location. We are a family-run business … our three kids have grown up in the restaurant industry and work alongside us, but also have jobs of their own as we have encouraged them to be independent. Our kids have been a huge asset to our business during COVID lockdown.
“COVID hit us hard. March 15th, 2020, we locked up the doors and laid off staff. We had to think about how to get inventive. We sold retail products to the public and helped fill their freezers, and still continue to do this when people reach out. We also put a take-out window in, and added a paging system to keep up with the social distancing.
“This lockdown we had to become more creative as January, for most restaurants and retail sectors, we got hit that much harder again. We came up with a $5 menu. It’s an idea that we found when we went to Las Vegas two years ago with our kids. A restaurant where everything at lunch was $5. The $5.00 Lockdown Menu, the response has been overwhelming.”
Want more? To go bigger? Their regular fare recommendations include the lobster bisque, calamari, any of the fresh catch, ciopino, and the several crab and lobster combinations. All their original dishes come with coleslaw.
Have you come across innovation, fresh ideas, or pivotal thoughts? Use the comment section to add to the possibilities and potential of helping restaurants cope by sharing the creativity you have read about or observed in your travels.
Hugh Kruzel is a committed foodie and a freelance writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat is made possible by our Community Leaders Program. Are you an advertiser? Learn more about our Community Leaders Program here.
