As prices come down, producers, purveyors and consumer-facing businesses in the local restaurant scene are adopting coping mechanisms, some of which may become mainstays such as reduced hours or adjusted menus.
We as consumers are also adjusting our habits as numerous eateries are no longer open into the late evening or early morning hours. The flow of customers and rush hours has changed slightly this summer. For example, at the Blue Plate Diner in Middletown, which now opens for breakfast at 8 a.m., the morning crowd is in place by 8:15 and business is brisk right through the lunch hour.
Some of this flow may be attributed to the change in the Newport restaurant scene, with a couple of longtime eateries in the diner category shutting their doors this year. Proprietor, veteran industry observer and
Blue Plate owner Ted Karousos has a dependable, loyal staff but he recognizes the state of the business this summer.
“[My place] is a couple of miles from the Newport waterfront and especially at dinnertime that makes a difference, especially for waitstaff,” he said.
The difference, he says, can turn into as much as $5 an hour in tips from downtown diners. While the employee scarcity of the past two years has eased considerably, the number of skilled workers remains somewhat thin, and restaurants are sharing staff. They always have, and it is commonplace for servers to be employed by more than one restaurant. Many are on call at several places. When one is slow due to the ebb and flow of business – rainy weather in Newport, for example – they will “pick up a shift” at another.
Most of the restaurants in our state are small businesses, owned and operated by families. The philosophy – the so-called culture of these businesses – reflects that. When one works for a family restaurant, one is family. Newer places fall right into the pattern. A brand-new food truck making its debut this summer is an example.
Cultro PVD Food Truck serves up authentic Central American creations, including arepas – a filled corn cake with seasoned barbecue chicken and cheese with siracha-type sauce on the side – street tacos and other items. Owners Leslie Polanco and Daniel Nunez cook and serve five nights a week at numerous events produced by
PVD Food Trucks. Their sometime staffers include some family members. Polanco says they are more than able to handle the hungry crowds.
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HELPING HANDS: Cultro PVD Food Truck owners Leslie Polanco, back left, and Daniel Nunez, back right, say they can handle the hungry crowds thanks to the help of their staff, which sometimes includes family members, such as Ninoska Genao, front left, and Layla Nunez, front right. PBN PHOTO/BRUCE NEWBURY[/caption]
The same was said by Russ Spellman, who operates the standalone brick-and-mortar
Incred-A-Bowl Café in East Providence, in addition to his truck specializing in multicultural noodle and rice bowls with Korean, Southwest and other influences. He says in previous years some of his waitstaff would sometimes take shifts at downtown Providence restaurants, but this summer he is not having as much transient staffing. He attributes it to his family atmosphere at his brick-and-mortar location, as well as on board his truck, which appears at WaterFire and other events statewide.
As the food service business matures, particularly from an individual owner standpoint, longtime business owners are finding the next generation is stepping up. Many of the food trucks are staffed by parents working alongside their adult offspring. A leading truck,
Championship Melt, reported one family member relocating to Rhode Island to be part of the family business. It is a pleasant phenomenon to observe and reassuring that the industry continues to be vibrant.
“Dining Out With Bruce Newbury,” syndicated weekly on radio, can be heard in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and Indiana. Contact Bruce at bruce@brucenewbury.com.