Linda Falkenstein
From left: Patrick DePula, Mark Pocan, Peter McElvanna and Francesca Hong.
Busy dining rooms and outdoor patios are returning to Madison now that Dane County, with one of the highest vaccination rates in the country, has lifted its COVID-19 restrictions.
Restaurant owners, though, are still on shaky ground. Some are speaking out for change, calling attention to ways to make the restaurant industry more equitable and stable going forward.
A roundtable discussion with U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan and restaurateurs Patrick DePula of Salvatore’s Tomato Pies, Francesca Hong of Morris Ramen, and Peter McElvanna of The Coopers Tavern last week underlined that without financial help from the American Rescue Plan and Paycheck Protection Program funds from the government over the last year, these restaurants would likely have gone under during the pandemic. But there is more work to be done.
The discussion was sponsored by Opportunity Wisconsin, an advocacy group working toward “an economy that works for working people.”
The pandemic brought to the fore issues that had existed in the industry before COVID-19, panelists said.
“The challenges are both systemic and conditional,” Hong said. The chef and co-owner of Morris Ramen won a seat in the state Assembly last fall, a bid for public office spurred in part by the crisis in the restaurant industry prompted by the pandemic. But Hong said she saw the need for affordable healthcare, a fair minimum wage and better public transportation from her first days as a service industry worker; she said they remain issues today.
Affordable child care also needs to be addressed to “get people back in the workforce,” DePula said. Now, an industry-wide server shortage is being exacerbated by some workers’ need to stay home with children. This is keeping restaurants in a “long transition,” said DePula.
There needs to be greater government investment in workers, which makes sense especially because restaurants are a major economic development tool, DePula said. “These jobs get people off entitlements.”
McElvanna, who says he would have had to “lock the doors” had he not received government aid, managed to keep more than a third of his staff employed over the course of the pandemic and is happy that he is able to hire employees again. Currently The Coopers Tavern is fully staffed in both the front of the house and the kitchen, which McElvanna attributes in part to having raised hourly wages (pre-pandemic) to $15 minimum, and more for some positions, and by providing a transportation discount for staff.
“Trust me, we didn’t make a nickel last year. But we’re still here, and there is light at the end of the tunnel, thanks to the hard work of Congressman Pocan and his colleagues in Washington, and we’re grateful,” said McElvanna. “Grateful’s not even the word.”
The American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan (part of President Biden’s Build Back Better plan) address the kinds of problems facing the restaurant industry, said Pocan. “Child care comes up over and over again,” said Pocan, noting it is included in the plans that Democrats are trying to get through Congress.
Pocan also cites the federal minimum wage, which has not been raised for 12 years, as a problem. “Hopefully we can still address that through Congress.”
Given that much of the reform being discussed needs to come from the federal government, can local restaurant- and food-lovers do anything to help?
Don’t criticize a restaurant for raising its prices, advises Hong. People need to be more aware of where their food comes from, and that prices on food have been kept artificially low for years, she said. If you see a service charge on your bill, “that’s happening because the restaurant owner is thinking of workers and farmers.”
Hong also cautioned against consumers thinking that certain “cultural foods” should be cheaper — without considering a restaurant’s rent, or if it is sourcing ingredients locally. Right now we’re “trying not to be in the hole,” said Hong. Her restaurant, Morris Ramen, reopened for onsite service on June 7 after focusing on takeout and community meals during the worst of the pandemic. “We’re keeping prices the same for now,” said Hong, but the restaurant will be switching over to counter ordering in part because of the server shortage.
“Understand that everyone is short-handed,” said DePula. “Patience is great.”
