New York, Houston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Maine, Chicago, Indiana, even London – restaurants around the world are temporarily closing due to rising cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. The closures, which one can’t help comparing to 2020, couldn’t come at a worse time. After months of struggling, operators were looking forward to busy holiday season to bring in much needed funds.
On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of NIAID, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the omicron variant is “just raging through the world” and later warned that the variant is going to “take over this winter”. Dr. Tom Frieden, former chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tweeted, “GET BOOSTED NOW. Tidal wave of Omicron likely coming to a hospital near you soon.”
States around the country are reporting all-time high cases of COVID-19, and the National Guard has been deployed to support hospitals struggling with the surge. Despite President Joe Biden’s assurance that “no business should shut down this winter because of COVID-19”, restaurants are shutting down. A lot of them. So many, there are even running lists.
This Washington Post article covers the situation well, and interviews operators who have temporarily closed for a number of reasons. Some have shut down due to active cases, while others have reverted to take-away only models until January, just to be safe.
“We’ve done our best to stay open safely during this Covid surge,” reads the latest Instagram post by Cervo’s, “but we’ve got to remain closed at Cervo’s. We’ll be closed through Christmas Day 12/25, and will keep you posted about re-opening. Until then, please take good care of yourselves and each other. We love you, New York.” In Chicago, Lula Café posted, “Due to positive cases at Lula we are closing to test all members of the team. We wish it were different but it’s not and here we are again – much love to everyone out there….”
The same sentiment is being echoed across the country: it sucks, it’s happening again, we’re trying out best.
Once again, bar and restaurant operators are being tasked with navigating a pandemic while operating on fewer resources than ever. And while it’s easy to be afraid and make comparisons to 2020, the situation isn’t the same. We’ve done this before. If you haven’t already made a playbook for COVID-19, an internal document of best practices, now is the time. This one from Black Sheep Restaurants, a hospitality group in Hong Kong, went viral last year, and is an excellent place to start.
There is no perfect roadmap for navigating a pandemic, but there are some practices that have worked well over the last year and can help keep your staff safe and your bar and restaurant running fully. As always, comply with federal and local regulations, and CDC guidelines.
The pandemic is far from over. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself and your team, so you can continue showing up each day. If you need help, there’s no shame in reaching out. Here are some resources that can help with financial, physical and mental well-being. As Alex McCoy, chef and owner of Lucky Buns in Washington, told the Washington Post, “I have a responsibility to the health and well-being of my staff and their safety, their mental safety. It’s not just about a positive or negative test. It’s also about making sure that they’re in the right mind-set and they understand that they’re safe and they’re taken care of. They’re going to be protected.”
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