Cooperative Living July 2020 - 30

DiningWithDan | Story and photos by Daniel M. Walker, Contributing Writer
The World Turned
Upside Down
Restaurants and the pandemic
ost people don't realize that during the American
Revolutionary War, the British Army traveled with
a very talented and fully equipped band. The British
loved music to celebrate their victories. In the beginning of
the war, the band played quite often; however, thanks to
Gen. Washington and his brave and often outmanned army,
the British military band had little to celebrate at the end
of the war at Yorktown.
According to American legend, when Cornwallis
surrendered to Gen. Washington, the British band played
the English ballad, " The World Turned Upside Down. "
If there is any reference that reflects how rural restaurant
owners, chefs and servers feel about this pandemic, it is
" the world has indeed turned upside down. "
In the midst of the economic downturn in 2008, I wrote
an article about how tough it was for some restaurants to
survive. I never thought that the restaurant business could
experience an even greater crisis. However, here we are,
and I believe the situation may be much worse than in 2008.
As one restaurant owner states, " With all the trillions of
dollars shelled out so far by the government, most small
restaurants have been left behind. Rural restaurants are finding
they are forced to operate with a new business model that
produces far less revenues and even greater uncertainty. "
When the pandemic caught a foothold in the U.S.,
Congress moved to address this economic body-blow by
passing the Paycheck Protection Program. This aid package
was designed to fund payrolls, thus protecting workers
from layoffs.
A good concept for some businesses, but not restaurants.
Most small, privately owned restaurants operate on extremely
thin margins. In other words, this week's cash flows provide
funds for next week's operations. When most restaurants were
required to shut down, there was an immediate hit to cash
flow. The three-week delay in getting the PPP up and running
Restaurants are doing what they can to survive the
pandemic; they can use support from their regulars.
may have been tolerable for some businesses in the economy.
However, for restaurants, it was an eternity and was too late
to save most restaurant jobs.
During the first week of the shutdown, many restaurants
had to lay off staff, lacking internal funds left to pay salaries.
Restaurant workers had additional concerns. As one restaurant
worker explains, " This is not just an economic crisis, it's
also a safety crisis. Without widespread testing you just don't
know if the next customer may be infected and bring the
virus to my table. Working and serving tables becomes a risky
affair. " The worker continues, " Until widespread testing is
in place, it seems safer to just collect unemployment and stay
home until things become safer. "
Rural restaurants are not just storefronts. They are often
both the economic hub and social soul of the community.
The welfare of the community depends on their existence.
If government help is unavailable, how are these restaurants
going to survive? In many cases, your favorite restaurant
might not survive, which would be a huge loss to the rural
community. The bottom line is now more than ever is the
time to support your favorite restaurants, even if they are
restricted to just carry-out. Customers represent the truest
and best economic stimulus for our rural restaurants. Support
them economically with your patronage and encourage them
to " hang in there " for better days ahead.
Looking ahead, I would like for you to let me know at
dwalker123@comcast.net what restaurant you would most
like to eat at after restaurants open up again. In addition, in
these uncertain times I pray for your safety and as always ...
be of good cheer! ■
28 | Cooperative Living | July 2020
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Cooperative Living July 2020

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