N.J. pizzeria borrows $50K to keep workers on the job, spurs donations
BELMAR, N.J. — This is a story about bosses and their workers in the dark days of COVID-19. And this being New Jersey, it’s also a story about pizza.
Bryan Morin and his brother Michael operate Federico’s Pizza in this Jersey Shore town. In the summer, they deliver cheesesteak pizzas, 12-inch subs and garlic knots directly to the beach, a few blocks away. In winter, customers flock to the cozy, black-and-white-tiled restaurant on Main Street.
But across the ocean, trouble brewed. Bryan Morin tossed and turned all night after watching news reports of how a virus spread rapidly in Italy, eventually bringing life to a virtual standstill and leading to massive layoffs as businesses closed down. He could not let this happen at
Federico’s.
Many of his employees have been with the business for a decade or more; the head cook has been there for 22 years, since the business was owned by Bryan and Michael’s father.
Bryan Morin decided to “do the right thing and take the hit, and I’ll make it up somewhere down the line.”
So about two weeks ago, he secured a $50,000 line of credit from his bank. He promised his workers they’d have a job for at least the next two months.. He’d reassess conditions after that, but he’d do everything possible to keep the paychecks flowing.
As word of the brothers’ pledge got around, the community rallied round. Customers began helping out: an extra $10 on top of the usual 20% tip, a few bucks earmarked for the kitchen staff.
But then, something unexpected happened: a surge of pay-it-forward donations.
People — some who were ordering food, some who just wanted to help — called and asked the pizzeria to charge their credit cards for food to be sent to those on the front lines of the virus response: doctors, nurses and other staff at a nearby hospital, and police, firefighters and EMS squads.
In just two days last week, Federico’s took in nearly $4,000 to make and deliver pizzas to first responders. Moments before Bryan Morin was interviewed last week, the pizzeria sent 30 free pizzas to Jersey Shore Medical Center, a vital battleground in the fight against COVID-19 in a state that has the second-most cases in the nation.
All because the boss cared.