Emilee Prado
Restaurants are more than kitchens, dining rooms and wait staff. Independent eateries make up the culture of a community. They are the extensions of our homes where families gather to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and crowning achievements.
When an executive order on March 19 required the closure of dining rooms across the state due to the COVID-19 outbreak, this new normal took on a grimmer feel. Some restaurants couldn’t stay open with just curbside, takeout and delivery services.
According to the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA), from March 1 to 22, 2% of operators permanently closed their restaurants, and 32% shut down for the short term. The TRA projects 35% to 45% of restaurants are vulnerable to going under because of this global pandemic.
The Southlake area is filled with dynamic chefs and restaurant professionals, which is about 10% of the state’s employment as of January 2020 according to the TRA, rolling up their sleeves and making the most out of the situation. While there is a lot of hurt to share, even more in the industry are setting an example for positivity and helping others, even when they are struggling.
FINDING A NEW NORMAL
Starting in March, restaurants had to throw out their sense of normalcy to adapt to new state regulations. TRA CEO Dr. Emily Knight knows that quick change shook businesses to their core.
“It’s the most catastrophic event that has happened to the restaurant industry,” Emily shares.
While Grapevine’s Mason & Dixie offered takeout prior to the executive order, owner and chef Beth Newman says that it was about 5% of her business. But in order to stay open, Mason & Dixie, alongside hundreds of other restaurant owners, had to close its dining room, change up its menu and find a delivery partner to add on that source of income.
Emilee Prado
“It was difficult, but it had to be done,” Beth says. “You would normally have time to roll all this out, but instead it’s all condensed. It’s a matter of survival.”
Pure Cafe in Southlake Town Square also saw a change in its operations, with some days only getting about 10% of its usual business.
“I’d say that about half of our orders were to go before,” owner Quyen Tong says. “But we are seeing a big decline because people aren’t wanting to come in or even leave their house at all.”
After 75% of its catering orders were canceled and the other 25% were rescheduled for the fourth quarter of 2020, Scratch Catering & Fine Foods had to roll out individual takeout to stay afloat. Thankfully owner and chef Ted Bilsky could rely on his old business model for supplemental income.
Scratch discontinued takeout around five years ago due to the high demands of the group’s catering responsibilities, but now Ted has brought back the practice for those who still want to enjoy his comfort food.
“It’s completely different than it was 45 days ago,” Ted says. “It’s like teaching an old dog new tricks. It’s an everyday hustle.”
While Ted says he has seen a rise in individual orders thanks to this new offering, he’s still grinding it out to ensure he can keep up with the demand. While he would normally be able to prepare 100 meals for a large catering order by himself, the logistics change when those 100 people are coming in as single tickets.
“Our biggest takeaway is I am spending 50% more in labor to get the same work done I was doing before,” Ted says.
OFFERING NEW SERVICES
The TRA worked with the state government to ensure restaurants could find new revenue streams, including alcohol sales and retail opportunities. Now eateries, with the correct permits, can offer customers beer, wine and mixed drinks, as long as they are accompanied by food.
Emilee Prado
“We knew that in order for these restaurants to survive, they had to push that out,” Emily says. “That helped restaurants sustain because if you wanted to get a bottle of wine, you were able to do that here.”
Customers can also now buy bulk items like packaged meat, fruit, vegetables and dry goods to help boost their favorite restaurants’ sales.
“You can buy all your food from our independent restaurants. We have now opened that channel,” Emily says.
Beth has taken advantage of both of these revenue sources, offering grocery kits and 40% off wine to customers. She believes by running with each new service, she will eventually find a stream that will help her survive through these tough months.
“I keep trying to pivot,” Beth says. “Eventually, I will hit on something.”
Beth also sold Easter egg dying kits for families interested in keeping that tradition alive in April, offering a little dose of normalcy during a time known for change.
“In my humble opinion, creativity, innovation and drive are the only things that will help us survive,” Beth says.
Emily says she is continuously surprised by restaurants throughout Texas providing fresh ways to engage with their customers, whether that be by hosting virtual wine tastings with bottles available for purchase to cooking classes using their ingredients.
“I have seen an unbelievable sense of resilience — a spirit of creativity,” Emily says. “Restaurants are looking for ways to keep that customer engaged because they don’t want to lose that connection.”
STEPPING UP FOR OTHERS
That connection doesn’t stop with customers. Local restaurants impacted by this crushing economic downturn are going above and beyond to ensure their staff, neighbors and community feel seen and loved.
Emilee Prado
Quyen and his wife Tennille want to help their employees pursue their degrees. They help pay for college tuition for employees, and are even helping one employee pay off student loans, all to help their team go on and achieve great things in their careers.
“I wanted to create a launch pad for those who wouldn’t have the resources or the ability to get an education,” Quyen says. “This needs to be a stepping stone. It doesn’t need to be a destination.”
While business is down, Quyen and Tennille have continued this support, even when it has meant paying out of their own pockets.
“We are still going to keep our promise,” Quyen says. “We understand these are difficult economic times, but that doesn’t mean we need to skirt away from our obligation to our employees. We don’t intend at all to go back on our word.”
Ted went viral in March for showing support to workers who may have been laid off or fired by their employers. He took to social media to say that anyone who could not afford to pay for his food could call him, and he would ensure their family had a hot meal.
“All these people, hundreds of people, are unemployed,” Ted shares. “We wanted to be proactive.”
Since that first callout, Ted says he was flooded by his regular customers asking how they could help in his efforts to support the community. He started selling gift cards that would go to those in need. To ensure they would be as impactful as possible, Ted started matching the donated funds.
“If a client comes in and buys a $50 gift card, I double it in value,” Ted says. “We have just such a gracious community. We are doing our part. We are known for giving back to the community. That’s a part of our culture. It’s in our corporate DNA.”
Beth knows her customers are looking for ways to show health care providers and first responders they are valued, so she is rolling out an option for patrons to purchase a meal for a Baylor Scott & White employee.
“It’s a great way to love on those in battle for us,” Beth says. “I think when you go outside your own problems and look at a bigger picture, you see that someone’s problems are even worse than your own.”
She’s also supporting area nonprofits by offering pantry kit essentials that benefit GRACE Grapevine. Customers can purchase one for $30, and Mason & Dixie handles the delivery to the nonprofit. She’s also promoting other area businesses on her social media to ensure that everyone gets the attention they need to get by.
“I don’t even believe in business competition,” Beth says. “I am just wishing everyone, my fellow people, the best in this.”
Emily has been able to witness businesses and restaurants throughout the state join together and support each other when they can, whether that be closed restaurants offering to house ingredients for overflowing restaurants or restaurants shouting out other local eateries on their social media to encourage their customers to check them out.
“This tends to be a sector that is willing to collaborate. It is amazing to see how these restaurants have helped each other,” Emily says. “Everyone is working together. I have never seen a better sense of community.”
THE HEART OF HOSPITALITY
That drive to help and show love with food is familiar for those in the industry. For many, it’s the reason they opened a restaurant.
“This is a very hard business. You don’t go into this unless you want to make people smile. It’s the true spirit of hospitality,” Emily says. “They just want to support their community. The restaurants we know and love are now asking for their communities for help.”
In the first three weeks of March, the Texas restaurant and food service industry lost $1.8 billion in sales, a 43% decline, according to the TRA’s reporting.
“I feel like supporting local businesses is great, but I think people should really try to go to the mom and pop shops. Those are the first to go out of business,” Quyen says. “Restaurants like us where we are not owned by a corporation, the margins are really slim.”
Many don’t realize how small those margins are. And how quickly restaurants can go under when they go without regular customers.
“It’s just scary,” Beth shares. “I’ve worked almost seven years for this. And I would have never imagined if someone said, ‘If you are going to fail, it’s because of this.’”
Emilee Prado
These small businesses and local restaurants need more than a promise to be back. They will not pull through without consistent patronage from old and new customers alike.
“I try to tell people, close your eyes and think about your favorite three places to eat in your town. Now open your eyes, and they are not there,” Emily says. “It’s too late to care once the crisis is over. We are not only a major economic player but we are the heart and soul of every small town in Texas. These guys have always stepped up. And now, we have to. The help needs to come now.”
No one wants to see a version of Southlake without mom and pop businesses. Because without local restaurants, Southlake loses flavor.
“We need to harness our energy,” Emily says. “We are going to come out of this very strong, Southlake in particular. We are lucky in Southlake because people love our restaurants.”