As we pass into a new year, there are still some leftover issues to resolve. Evidently, the pandemic is not finished with us, although we are long since done with it.
The restaurants and bars in Rhode Island made a comeback in 2021. Upon closer examination, they never had fallen very far. If the industry had collapsed to the point that had been predicted, there would have been an estimated 1,000 restaurants of the nearly 3,000 in the state closing their doors. As it was, only a small number closed permanently, with less than 10% going on hiatus for between a week and a month. Life not only went on with the usual give-and-take of business but actually thrived and grew.
This is not to minimize anyone’s difficulty nor the real issue of staffing scarcity. The crisis has spotlighted the dedicated personnel who remained on the job working tirelessly for the driven restaurateurs who make up the vast majority of owners in Rhode Island.
Two stories of significance are worth noting as we turn the calendar.
Chow Fun Food Group has named Harrison Elkhay as its new president. As a vice president, Elkhay had been involved in many aspects of the company since 2014. However, his journey in the restaurant industry began long before then. At the age of 14, Elkhay began working in his father’s restaurant, XO Cafe, as a part-time dishwasher and pastry cook. Quickly establishing himself in the business, Elkhay made his way to the front of the house working as a server, bartender and eventually manager of multiple restaurants within the group. “Harrison has a knack for creating a welcoming atmosphere and a superior guest experience anywhere he goes,” said John Elkhay, CEO and maestro of Chow Fun Food Group. “After his 22 years in the industry, I am excited to see what the next chapter holds.” Elkhay and his team are looking forward to a bright future at Chow Fun Food Group. The group’s restaurants consist of 10 Prime Steak & Sushi, Xaco Taco, Harry’s Bar & Burger and OZ Tacos & Tequila.
The owners of Chez Pascal, Kristin and Matt Gennuso, announced the week before Christmas that they are putting the iconic French bistro on the East Side of Providence on the market. Matt Gennuso has been offered the opportunity to apply for a position as a chef faculty member as an expert in charcuterie in Singapore. If everything goes according to plan, he would begin work in Singapore in July.
In contemplating their forthcoming adventure, the couple has taken a unique point of view. They are anticipating the possibilities of their successor. As their email message put it, they look forward to “the prospect of someone new to be able to follow their dream, pour their passion into this space and find out just how incredibly lucky and special this corner of Rhode Island is.”
The Gennusos noted it will be 19 years in March when they took over the Hope Street restaurant after acquiring it from Pascal Leffray, who founded Chez Pascal years before in Narragansett.
Be confident in 2022 that your favorite place is open and welcoming with protocols and restrictions that we can all follow. The prevailing wisdom in the restaurant community in the early going of 2022 can be summed up in the thoughts of Kristin and Matt Gennuso in their message to friends and followers:
“Come March/April, some lucky business out there … will be overjoyed at the opportunity to work with people who know the value of hard work … [and] carry intelligence, creativity, compassion, knowledge, people skills, humor and commitment as their everyday attire.” n
Bruce Newbury’s radio show and podcast, “Dining Out with Bruce Newbury,” is broadcast on WADK 1540 AM and several radio stations throughout New England. Email him at Bruce@BruceNewbury.com.