Dan Apolito is the co-owner of Archer's Tavern restaurants, based in Centerville, Ohio. 

Another Day, Another Challenge.

With 25 years of restaurant management behind me, 2020 has presented more challenges than the other 24 years combined. Every day presents a unique obstacle or puzzle to solve for which I am unfamiliar and have, at best, an original but untested solution.

My group of restaurants, which grew from one to three over the past ten years, were closed for nine weeks. Our interruption in operations began March 15th when we received instruction from our governor that, in order to do our part to fight the spread of coronavirus, we must shut down our dining rooms. Although, he encouraged us and all restaurants in our state to continue carryout and delivery, we made the decision to shut down completely.  

This decision to completely shut down was not easy, but was made as there were too many unanswered questions.   When would we be allowed to reopen?  How would we choose which employees would remain on the payroll and which would be laid off?  Would the employees that remained on payroll become ineligible for unemployment benefits?  

My partners and I have always given the welfare of our 172 employees very high priority and the effect of the forced shutdown on them trumped the effect it would have on us.

Prior to the shutdown, carryout was approximately 20% of our revenue.  Last week, it was 100% of our revenue.  Three months prior to the interruption of business, we decided to cease using a third party delivery service.  Although no delivery was an inconvenience to some of our "stay at home”guests, most did not realize that those delivery services charge the restaurant between 20% and 40% of the total bill in addition to the convenience and delivery fees they charge the consumer.  

Although the delivery service brought with it additional revenue, with a 28% fee, cost of goods around 30%, and the added labor to handle the volume, every delivery order cost us tremendous stress if not profit (we never could figure out if delivery made us any money).  

Additionally, in November, we decided to reduce the usage of plastic bags and completely eliminate Styrofoam, and invest in more expensive but environmentally friendlier recycled packaging.  Authors of the Green New Deal we are not, but we certainly are willing to play what little role we can to save our planet.  The added expense was a no-brainer when every table required one or maybe two boxes to carry leftovers home.  

However, this became a tremendous expense when every appetizer, entrée and dessert required its own recycled and environmentally friendly package.  Certainly, our guests won't mind the $3.00 carryout fee we decided to charge to help cover the additional costs.  Well, some if not many, did mind.  Not only did they not understand the fee helped cover the added cost of packaging our food, but it was also used to help supplement the wage of our carryout team.  Most of them were paid an hourly wage of $4.35 plus tips.  History told us that guests choosing carryout typically tip less than 10% if anything.   

Guests that dine in our dining rooms or bar areas typically tip 20% for attentive service.  It's a bit of a fallacy that all restaurant workers are "low income".  The majority of our servers and bartenders make $120-$180 per shift in tips which equates to about $25-$30 per hour.  In order to provide income for these servers, we trained them on our carryout procedures and increased their hourly wage to $9.00 plus tips.  Our guests utilizing carryout services have been very generous.  The servers that are now part of the carryout team are making approximately $35.00 per hour right now.  This will drop as guests return to our dining rooms.

In  addition to curbside pickup, we decided to begin offering breakfast.  We now offer a“sufficient" breakfast menu, eggs, omelettes, French Toast, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches and coffee from 7 AM until 11 AM seven days a week.  The most tables we have had at any one time in any of the restaurants was three.  We spent a few hundred dollars at each location on signage and hope people in the community begin to think of us before noon each day.  We remain optimistic.

Every day is new and with every new day, come challenges.  With each challenge, a decision must be made as to how much of the past do we hold on to and how much change should we embrace.  For most of my life when I tell people that I am in the restaurant business, they respond "That's a really tough business.” I have never thought that way.  In fact, I always felt that restaurants had a few advantages that few industries possess.  

Customers that come through our door have already decided to give us money.  We don't have to convince them to eat something after they sit down.  We only suggest our favorites.  People always have to eat.  

We are in control of our product from start to finish.  If it's great, it's because we made it that way.  If something is wrong, chances are whomever made the mistake is in the building and the mistake can be corrected.  The entire chain of command is present and available to take action when things don't go as planned.  

Well, for twenty-four years, I thought the restaurant business was fairly easy. 2020 might just change my mind.