Restaurants face challenges

The restaurant business is tough on a normal day. Statistics are daunting to anyone looking to run an eating establishment anywhere in the country. Now, add on the extra challenge of keeping patrons safe during a pandemic while balancing expenses and staff, and that challenge is magnified tenfold.
Three Machias restaurants offer a snapshot into life before COVID 19 and subsequently its impact on operations. With restrictions slowly being lifted as Governor Janet Mills' administration begins a safe reopening of Maine, what will restaurants look like? The owners of Helen's Restaurant, the Bluebird Ranch Family Restaurant and Pat's Pizza all agree the road back will be a challenge, and they will meet it head on and succeed.
Restaurants offer not only food but provide a place where the social fabric of a community is woven with every meal served. Many people believe restaurants are essential and are the backbone of communities.
For seven years the Burke family has been growing Pat's Pizza in Machias. Before the shutdown it employed 35 people. "There was a festive feel in our place and the community because St. Patrick's Day was coming, and our business had done well with the basketball season," says owner Bill Burke.
The Bluebird Ranch Family Restaurant employs 35 people and is known for its home style cooking. It also serves as a location for the Rotary and other groups to hold meetings. "Our business was normal during the winter months," says owner Bethany Foss. "I was gearing up for the summer season with catering and the restaurant, planning menus and planning to hire more help, then COVID-19 came along."
For 70 years Helen's Restaurant has been a mainstay in Machias. From its humble beginnings on Main Street to its present location on Route 1, Helen's has endured plenty, yet is a constant in a Downeast community hard hit by this most recent challenge. "Pre COVID-19 business had us on a tract to be a terrific year with scheduled staff bonuses and increased community giving," says Julie Barker, who co owns Helen's Restaurant with her husband David. The restaurant employs 53 people and is known for its fish chowder and blueberry pie. It also knows about dealing with the unknown. The restaurant was destroyed by fire in July 2014, rebuilt and reopened on May 19, 2015.

Life interrupted
The beginning of 2020 in all respects looked bright for Downeast communities from Ellsworth to Calais and across into Canada. Restaurants were particularly eager to welcome the sunshine back and prepare for an early spring season, and then the pandemic arrived.
"On March 17 we chose to close completely over the unknowns of COVID-19, before the governor closed dine-in service," says Barker. "We divided thousands of dollars of perishables to staff and worked on securing unemployment for our employees. When the COVID-19 numbers remained unchanged after six weeks, we had no choice but try and reopen for takeout, adding delivery service."
"When COVID-19 hit there was a lot of unknowns at first," says Burke. "We didn't close down entirely, just the dining room. It helped that we had a takeout business already and that wasn't much of a change for us. The biggest challenge was trying to figure out workforce and then having to lay employees off. We adjusted our hours and closed on Sundays after a few weeks."
For the Bluebird, the month of March brought dramatic changes to the restaurant's operations. "At the close of business on March 18, I advised all employees to sign up for unemployment, and I worked alone for three days doing takeout," says Foss. "On April 17 we opened for takeout only till May 18. Easter Sunday we offered homemade donuts and meal deals which feeds 10 people. I was trying to generate some revenue and also thought this would make it easier for families to order our meal deals for this holiday."

Safety is paramount
The dichotomy of the day to day operations in small coastal restaurants is much like a family going about their daily routine. With COVID 19 all three owners' first concern was the well-being of employees and customers. Maintaining safe distances, face coverings, plastic barriers at cash registers, expanded outside dining areas and curb-side pickup will be the mode of operation moving forward for all three establishments as they progress into the summer.
"For years we have wished that the new restaurant was smaller but that has turned into a blessing with the reduced seating," says Barker. "Currently we can seat about 65% capacity based on the guidelines, which is working fine right now because business has not returned. Our staff numbers are about one-quarter from last year this time. Instead of gearing up for summer and training high school students for their summer employment it feels more like preparing for a northeaster and who we will have to send home."
"We have the tables arranged so they are six feet apart, and we are currently working on outdoor seating," says Foss. "In addition, all staff have to wear face coverings, and we have cut back our hours of operation to allow for additional cleaning. We usually increase our staff by 15 employees during the summer season, but I don't foresee that happening this summer."
Burke has made the decision to not reopen the dining room right now. "We don't want to open and then the governor shuts us down again," he explains. "There are five pages of rules that we must follow."

Treading water by sharing ideas
Business in general is a solitary venture when it comes to staying one step ahead of the competition, especially when it comes to the food business. Not here Downeast. All three restaurant owners stress the importance of being open and communicative with each other by sharing ideas and developing strategies to deal with issues.
"Early on Larry Geaghan, Geaghan's Pub Bangor, reached out to me," says Barker. "He encouraged me to reach out to several other Machias restaurants and discuss ideas, plans, issues with takeout and reopening, PPP information, legislative/news contacts, food shortage/price increases." She adds, "None of us has any real answers, but it is comforting to have allies who are mutually dealing with the same thing and to bounce ideas around with."
Even a large outside fire pit behind the Machias River Inn is being used differently this summer. The restaurants are providing food or drink to customers of the inn when nights afford guests the luxury of dining out near the fire.
All three owners have made significant changes to their mode of operation as the summer season heats up. And all of them know this will be a long haul and the new normal for quite some time. The biggest unknown now is whether customers will return and make all of the extraordinary effort in cost, time and commitment being invested by owners and staff successful. One person summed it up succinctly, "Try to imagine life here without these places."
"We are reminded with each new look at the news that we are so blessed to live where we do, we will continue to work hard and adapt to the changes that are thrown at us every day," says Barker. "Being open is a start in the right direction, and we will learn from this and raise our expectations for a brighter future than we ever dreamed."