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The sun-dappled deck of the Hot Club in Providence opened for outdoor eating and drinking last week. On the first day at lunch, tables filled as regulars filtered in.
It’s no surprise that on a lovely spring afternoon patrons were eager to shed lockdown cabin fever and mingle. One of the first in line was Jim Hayden of Providence who said, “I couldn’t wait to get back. I missed everybody.”
For more than three decades, the waterfront tavern has been a lodestone for those seeking company over a beer and a burger. Yet, while the venue is the same much has changed.
Gone are the days of bars clotted with customers, eyes glued to the Red Sox, high-fiving home runs, shaking hands and hugging.
Nobody is allowed near the bar. Everyone wears masks. And don’t even think of just stopping by unannounced for a drink –everyone needs to make a reservation. There are no ball games to watch.
The deck usually has 20 tables. That’s now down to twelve. Tables of two or four have been spread out so patrons sit a dozen feet away from each other.
Rhode Island’s restaurant industry has taken a huge virus-induced hit. It’s a big industry in a small state–about 60,000 people work in the state’s nearly 3,000 restaurants. It’s always been a hard business — very competitive and dependent on weather and the fickle tastes of customers. But veteran restaurant owners say they’ve never seen anything like the current challenge..
Keeping staff and patrons safe is the first order of business. Food safety and sanitation is nothing new for these folks; every chef and restaurant owner lives in fear of a salmonella outbreak that leads to horrible publicity, closure and perhaps financial ruin.
Some restaurants have tried to cope with empty dining rooms by offering take-out meals. Some have done well with this model, but most can’t earn a profit bagging food to go.
So far, only restaurants with outdoor seating are allowed to reopen. This has caused a split in the industry. A splinter group of about 170 restaurateurs anchored by Providence Federal Hill establishments has lobbied strenuously for an end to restrictions put in weeks ago to stop the virus spread. Most other owners have been more cautious, arguing that safety is more important than a speedy shift to full houses. On Friday, Gov. Gina Raimondo announced that
Indoor dining will be allowed on June 1st.
When they reopen, restaurants will be restricted to about half of their capacity — which makes it difficult to make money. As Josh Miller, Hot Club owner says, there isn’t a restaurant business model that’s sustainable at 50 percent occupancy. “We know this won’t work long-term,’ he says.
Dale Venturini, president of the RI Hospitality Association, says most restaurant owners want to ensure safety and instill confidence in customers, so waiting longer for indoor business makes sense.
Many owners seem to agree with her. Jeff Hersh is the longtime owner of the Lobster Pot, a nearly century-old place overlooking Bristol Harbor. He’s upset at the splinter group of owners, who have organized as The Ocean State Coalition, who seek a fast indoor reopening.
“Infighting in the industry doesn’t solve our problems,” says Hersh, who has been open for carry out.
What the outdoor openings show is a pent up demand for eating out. Albert Quito, owner of Quito’s on the Bristol waterfront, is open for outdoor service, which he hopes will supplement what he says is a strong take-out business. But he says it is a work in progress that will take time to refine.
In a state yoked to tourism, getting this industry back in business is a crucial economic fulcrum. There is no treatment for COVID-19.There is no vaccine. And virus tests have high rates of inaccuracy.
Then there is the overarching verdict that will make or break the industry. That’s whether you will feel safe going out to eat.
Scott MacKay’s commentary can be heard every Monday morning at 6:45 and 8:45 and at 5:44 in the afternoon.
