money 'Not a penny to spare': A Brooklyn restaurant struggles during the coronavirus outbreak
In early March, as coronavirus, or COVID-19, began to spread throughout the United States, New York City emerged as a hot zone for the contagion.
Kevin and Debbie Adey, husband and wife owners of the restaurant Faro in Brooklyn were taking all the routine measures that come with responsible food service, but were overly precautious, leaving Clorox wipes in plain sight to give diners who were on edge some peace of mind.
But it wasn't enough to combat the inevitable and 25-year industry veterans knew what was coming. Panic set in, business slowed, and Faro closed on March 15. The Adeys laid off all 26 of the restaurant's employees.
The following day, all New York restaurants, bars, and cafes were ordered to close to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The city's vibrant culinary scene ground to a halt. Patrons stopped dining out, restaurant owners were forced to make tough decisions, and thousands of hospitality and service workers were instantly out of work.
"It's a real grim reminder that there is not a penny to spare in the restaurant business," Kevin said. "There's no extra employees. There's no extra dollars. There's no extra anything. The margins are so slim that when you start altering your income in any negative way, you have to alter everything."
Once thriving industries are now in free fall and the Adeys represent small business owners across the country who are desperately seeking relief. For American workers in retail, restaurants, and hospitality, unemployment claims are skyrocketing by the millions.
‘We're not getting to-go containers right now.'
Closing Faro wasn't a decision the Adeys took lightly.
They evaluated and deliberated over every possible arrangement to keep the restaurant open, but seemingly simple changes like adapting a takeout or delivery model wasn't the answer for them. Faro's menu of homemade pasta and seasonal American fare wasn't conducive to take out even before coronavirus, Debbie said.
"For us, it does not make sense to just jump on that takeout delivery bandwagon right now. It's in the back of our minds," Debbie said. "We're not ruling it out, but we're not getting to-go containers right now."
Streamlining and outsourcing delivery orders to a third-party delivery vendor like Seamless or GrubHub doesn't do much to help the bottom line, either. Restaurants on those platforms pay upwards of 30% of sales, steep fees, and taxes, and have to evaluate if it's worth it.
The Adeys are committed to reopening Faro as soon as it's deemed safe, but for them, public health and the greater good wins over their desire to forcefully shape-shift their business into something it wasn't designed to do. Operating a to-go or delivery business still puts people like food vendors, delivery messengers, employees, and patrons at an increased risk of exposure.
"The more human interaction out there, the more this virus is going to be around and it's not going to be gone," Debbie said. "I think everyone's got to do their part to stay in their house and we can all get back to this, but trying to find these little work arounds to gather, it's just going to make it worse for the entire restaurant industry."
‘They didn't make a bad decision and had to wait tables’
Kevin wants people to know that working at a restaurant isn't someone's fall back plan — at least not at Faro. Working in hospitality is a calling.
"I would say at least 90% of the people who are working here, this is what they want to do," he said. "They didn't make a bad decision and had to wait tables."
Faro's entire staff is welcomed back upon the restaurant's reopening, but in the meantime, 26 employees are without an income.
Debbie and Kevin encouraged their staff to file for unemployment benefits, while the recently-passed CARES Act stimulus checks will also help employees of small businesses like Faro. The community has also stepped up to show its support through a GoFundMe page.
What’s to come
Cramped tables, dedicated coat check rooms, and standing room only bars, once staples of the New York City dining scene, might become relics of a bygone era. Once social distancing measures are relaxed, Kevin isn't convinced the culinary industry will resume life as it was pre-coronavirus.
Diners instead might see spaced out tables due to more stringent occupancy restrictions, bars might have stricter rules for standing at the bar, and coat check rooms might disappear for fear of contamination among closely packed coats.
Once bars and restaurants reopen, Kevin foresees a seismic shift in how patrons spend money.
"But there is no normalcy anymore," he said. "You can't just have a staff to do what you've done before. Even after this clears up, people are going to have been out of a job and they're not going to have the same amount of money to dine."
Self-described "worry warts," the Adeys have enough money socked away that gives them the confidence to project that they'll eventually rebound.
"Faro is going to be open again. There's no doubt if it's six weeks or six months, we will open again and we'll serve pasta to the neighborhood we love," Kevin said.
Stephanie is a reporter for Yahoo Money and Cashay, a new personal finance website. Follow her on Twitter @SJAsymkos.
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