By Shoshi Fine
New York is known as a city with a lively atmosphere, and much of that can be attributed to the restaurants. But due to COVID-19, a lot about dining has changed, impacting both the customers and the employees.
Some people want to return to eating in restaurants like they used to, but it’s crucial that the return is safe so it doesn’t cause a spike in virus cases. Another aspect of city life is the food, and enjoying the ambience of restaurants. Restaurants are a big part of New York City’s economy, and with them shut down, the question becomes: will the people and city be able to recover from all the lost revenue?
On March 15, 2020, Mayor Bill De Blasio announced that city restaurants were to be closed down. At this time, restaurants were still able to open for delivery, and no one knew how long it would last.
During an interview with Ned Baldwin, the owner of Houseman restaurant in Hudson Square, he talked about how crazy and fast everything changed. “In March, we went from being normally busy to losing all our reservations, and went from thinking we will have a wait and see approach, to 2 days later laying off everyone. Then [we] closed for a couple months, until late May.” Closing for two months unfortunately for restaurant owners and workers, means making budget cuts everywhere, including the staff.
About half of the original 30,000 restaurant workers were laid off.
Later on, restaurant owners developed their own ways to help make money to keep their businesses afloat. Ned would make hot food in the restaurant by himself, and do a no-contact pickup for customers who were around. As this grew, he brought back some staff to help, and kept slowly expanding the level it was at.
Other restaurants used delivery services such as Seamless or Postmates to deliver food to wanting customers. It was really important during the peak months of the pandemic to try and do whatever possible to keep making income, otherwise there was no hope of reopening, whenever that would be.
In June 2020, Mayor DeBlasio unveiled his outdoor dining plan. It was experimental, and no one knew if it would work, let alone be effective. The plan allowed customers to eat outside at restaurants, and also allocated restaurants portions of the road/sidewalk so they could have space for those who went. This turned out to be extremely successful. It was major for many restaurants who probably would not have survived without it. The plan was extended throughout winter 2020.
However, while this provided an opportunity for restaurants to do well, it also brought new challenges.
New York City Winter temperatures can get as low as an average of 27° fahrenheit, a temperature that’s below freezing. On a day like this, who will want to sit outside? How will restaurants get people to keep coming, even throughout the winter frost?
There have been some steps taken already to help this. First, DeBlasio legalized the use of propane heaters on the sidewalk for restaurants. This is good, but with the announcement (as with many other highly requested items during the pandemic) they have been hard to purchase. One of the other only alternatives to these heaters are infrared heaters. These are expensive and hard to install, so not the ideal option. This leaves restaurant owners trying to think of creative ways to heat their outdoor sections. One example is a yurt, a plastic dome around each table keeping heat inside.
The city has come a long way since March. On September 10, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that indoor dining would be allowed in NYC at 25% capacity. The extension of outdoor dining was also a big milestone. Things seem to be looking up, so hopefully they keep going that way.
On the local level, some of the most loved food places near school have changed. Some have closed, but others are open and ready for business. Shake Shack, Dunkin’, Chipotle, Essen, and Starbucks are just some of the now-open options near school. Hopefully, progress continues to be made and everyone does their part so restaurants can reopen and thrive.
Sources:
Outdoor Dining in N.Y.C. Will Become Permanent, Even in Winter
How Yurts and Heat Lamps Will Save New York’s Restaurants