Anew era of DINING
Aweek into the state’s ban on sit- down dining that went into effect in March, revenues at La Taqueria in downtown Greenwich had plummeted by more than 50 percent.
Today, a surge in pickup and delivery orders has propelled the Mexican restaurant’s top line to near its February levels.
In Connecticut, no industry’s income and employment levels have taken a harder hit from the coronavirus crisis than dining’s, with accommodations and food services losing nearly 58,000 positions in the state in April — about half the entire job loss of 2008- 2010 recession in Connecticut.
The return of outdoor dining last month has helped eateries generate more demand, but many like La Taqueria expect to continue relying on pickups and deliveries to keep their businesses going in the coming months.
“It’s tough times for everybody,” said La Taqueria owner Dennis Lake. “I got dealt my hand, and I’ve made the best of it. And it’s working.”
Outdoor dining resumed May 20, as part of the first phase of business reopenings in the state. Lake set up a couple of two- seat tables outside his restaurant, but those seats only account for a small fraction of revenues.
He estimates that about 70 percent of the restaurant’s income now comes from deliveries and about 30 percent from pickups.
High fees charged by delivery services — some in the range of 35 percent of an order’s price — have cut into La Taqueria’s bottom line, but Lake said that the restaurant is still breaking even.
“You’ve got to try to keep that flow coming,” Lake said. “Hopefully at the end of the week or month, you’ve got a few more pennies in the bank than what you spent.”
Indoor dining service in the state could resume as early as June 20, although some groups such as the Connecticut Restaurant Association want to move up the date to June 10. When the state gives official approval for inside seating, Lake plans to avail his business of that option.
“I’m going to try to do it as safely as possible, obviously with a lot of different protocols in place that weren’t part of the day- to- day
“I GOT DEALT MY HAND, AND I’VE MADE THE BEST OF IT. AND IT’S WORKING.” LA TAQUERIA OWNER DENNIS LAKE
operations four to five months ago,” Lake said. “I’m going above and beyond to make sure everything is safe and done right.”
A number of local officials and community leaders in southwestern Connecticut are trying to take advantage of the temperate weather to encourage more outdoor dining.
In Stamford, the Downtown Special Services District launched last Saturday its Streateries program, which closed several streets in the city center to traffic from 3 p. m. to 11 p. m. that day to allow restaurants to set up dining tables in parking spaces.
Greek restaurant Kouzina, on Main Street, is among the establishments planning to join the roster of those doing street dining. That option would allow Kouzina to more than double its outdoor seating capacity.
“If we only had the seating with what’s permitted on the sidewalk, it wouldn’t be enough,” said Kouzina co- owner Peter Valis. “The expanded patio is crucial.”
Working with the city, the DSSD aims to fully implement Streateries in the second half of June and run it through September. The expanded al fresco seating could include transforming part of the parking lot beside the Bedford Street garage into a weekend dining piazza.
At the same time, many restaurant and café owners are taking a gradual approach to sit- down service.
In the past three months, Source Coffeehouse in the
Black Rock section of Bridgeport has offset the loss of on- premises dining with strong demand for curbside pickups.
The establishment plans to reopen its patio later this month, but it is in no rush to resume indoor seating. “We are so pleased and grateful with how well it’s gone for us,” said Source owner Courtney Hartl. “Our community has been really supportive and receptive. We’ve had people who’ve come out every single day, for months.”