Restaurateurs react to R.I. dining room closures

BOB BURKE, owner of the French restaurant Pot Au Feu, said that closure of restaurants could lead to many being forced to go to already overtaxed supermarkets. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
BOB BURKE, owner of the French restaurant Pot Au Feu, said that closing or limiting access to restaurants could further tax overburdened supermarkets. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – The decision to shut down Rhode Island’s restaurant dining rooms and limit them to takeout, drive-thru and delivery in the wake of the coronavirus crisis was not a complete surprise to many in the restaurant and food-service community. Hospitality officials were tipped off early Monday morning of the pending shutdown.

The state’s restaurateurs, most of whom are independent owner-operators reacted quickly, some anticipating the move. Newport Restaurant Group Sunday night announced the closing of all of its restaurants in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The Blue Plate Diner in Middletown posted on its social media the sentiment of many on Restaurant Row: “We cannot in good conscience ignore the pleas of public health officials…”

Others continued with plans that had already been put in place. Bahjat Shariff, CEO of a local franchise of Panera Bread, Howley Bread Group, said Sunday night, “I think we have all the right business channels and we can do this quickly.”

Local business owners are of course following the mandate while at the same time looking at the grim prospect of lost business, wages and tips on their staffers. John Moubayed, proprietor of CAV Restaurant in Providence told PBN, “We are continuing takeout-available now-and will begin delivery in a couple of days.” Moubayed will be paying his employees throughout, including keeping tipped staff whole up to 80% of their paychecks including tips whether they work or not. CAV is giving the option to older employees to take off.

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Moubayed echoes the hope of many on restaurant rows across the state that patrons of all restaurants consider buying gift cards online as a good way to help these local businesses now.  He said, “It will be a challenging environment and there is a palpable anxiety. I do believe CAV is well-positioned to weather the storm.”

However, there are cautionary tales. Pot au Feu mainstay and longtime observer of the scene, restaurateur Bob Burke pointed out, “The restaurant food chain delivers massive quantities of needed food. It took years to build and it cannot be replaced. [If government] shuts down the restaurants that feed millions of Americans every day, [people] are going to have to go to already overtaxed supermarkets to get their food.  The food served in restaurants comes through an entirely different supply and distribution network that cannot be easily switched over to fill supermarket shelves.”

Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom in discussing restrictive measures to be imposed on his state’s restaurants observed, “Restaurants are a point of contact in the food supply.”

With such a fast-moving story, sometimes the events move faster than the players. A regional story that Grubhub was eliminating fees was met with surprise by at least one Providence restaurateur who had not received any such notice. The restaurateur is awaiting word from Grubhub on its policy.

Gov. Gina M. Raimondo expressed sympathy and solidarity with the food-service industry, saying at Monday morning’s briefing, “I know this is brutal [for the restaurant industry] and I will make it up to you.” When pressed by a reporter on what was meant by that, Raimondo replied with examples such as rescheduling winter holiday observances due to snowstorms.

State Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott had best-practice advice for restaurant owners and workers, from ordering that any restaurant worker who feels ill – “even a little bit” – not report to work. Also, she advised consumers pay online or with credit cards to minimize contact by handling cash.

The policy will be revisited on March 30th to assess overall conditions and status of the outbreak, the governor stated.

Bruce Newbury is a PBN contributing writer.

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