Local Restaurants Continue Fighting Through Pandemic

The recent pandemic has forced restaurateurs to get creative outside of the kitchen and rethink their business models.

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The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying quarantine to flatten the curve of the virus took all of us by surprise. Similarly, as if watching a slow-moving train wreck, we saw the local restaurant industry experience a blindside of epic proportions as they immediately ceased dining room service. This left many food-based businesses reeling. 

Restaurants responded, in what many have euphemistically termed as a “pivot.” In speaking to local restaurateurs and food entrepreneurs, it was less elegant than a pivot and more like a mad scramble to simply survive. Owners had to adapt to unknown territory overnight in an effort to hold on to businesses that already required an extraordinary level of dedication and effort to build and maintain, even in the best of circumstances. Some restaurants chose to close temporarily. 

Restaurants that remained open quickly adapted their menus for curbside pickup and delivery. The Fort Worth community responded immediately and seemed to make it their civic duty to focus their purchasing dollars on supporting local restaurants. 

In a surprisingly welcome twist, fine dining restaurants like Ellerbe, Bonnell’s, and Grace began providing family-style meals for an almost unbelievable cost of around $40-$50. This price point would barely cover one single meal during pre-COVID-19 times. This tactic made sense as people cautiously watched their dollars in response to an uncertain economy. 

As restaurants slowly begin reopening, some continue to offer curbside and delivery options. Diners are in different stages of quarantine, and restaurants continue to manage a delicate balancing act of serving those eager for a dine-in experience while still offering options for those continuing to maintain social distance. With curbside and delivery meals being the new normal, they may be here to stay. 

The dining experience looks different with waiters and staff wearing masks, touchless menu options, and upgraded hygiene and safety practices. One restaurant installed clear acrylic barriers between booths as an added precaution. While dining rooms still face restrictions, outdoor areas can continue service at full capacity as long as seating maintains social distance. Any place with outdoor seating is in demand now more than ever despite the rising Texas temperatures. Some restaurants created outdoor seating where none existed before.  

Not every food establishment suffered negatively. Places like Meyer & Sage that already offer preprepared food and meals for delivery or grab and go did not have to drastically change their business model. Their heat-and-eat meals reached a newfound audience of families fatigued from cooking. Fast-casual taco joint Salsa Limón already had a phone app in place before the quarantine. Utilizing the app, you could order, pay, and pick up your tacos as quickly as 15 minutes after placing the order for a seamless and touchless experience. 

Despite the struggles, chefs like Kevin Martinez of Tokyo Cafe and Yatai Food Kart found a way to give back to the service industry by organizing free weekly meal kits. Melt Ice Creams developed an initiative, Happiness for Heroes, that allows people to donate pints to frontline health care workers. These are just a few examples of food industry folks that found a way to not just survive but to give back. Now, it’s our turn to give back and continue to support the restaurants we love to make sure they stick around for the long run.  

Josie Villa-Singleton is the owner of Eat This Fort Worth Food Tours. You can follow her on Instagram at @eatthisfortworth