Restaurant Jobs Recover, But The Pandemic Is Still Being Felt
The CulinaryWoman Newsletter, 10/15/23
The pandemic delivered a body blow to restaurants large and small. Even some of the country’s most prestigious did not escape. I remember walking under a “Now Hiring” banner last year outside Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, opposite the lighted sign where everyone poses for a souvenir photo.
Staffing shortages led to all manner of changes across the industry, from shorter hours and limited menus, to unexpected closings, and even the ability to survive. Customers who were used to seeing familiar faces - and being pampered - were left unsettled.
Well, that’s all over now - or is it? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, restaurants and bars are back to the employment levels they had in February, 2020. (The National Restaurant Association disagrees; it says the industry is still 47,000 jobs short of pre-pandemic levels.)
I regularly ask the staff at my favorite places, “How’s business?” And it seems that at some, things have improved. There are more people on the floor, menus seem abundant again, the plexiglas dividers have been disassembled.
Regardless of the statistics, however, the after effects of the pandemic are still being felt. Places that struggled through the worst during the past few years are out of breath, and giving up.
Wounded by the pandemic
Just a few weeks ago in Ann Arbor, I could get a salad at Fresh Forage, order Asian inspired food from Of Rice and Men, take home sweets from Syrian Cuisine and Exotic Bakeries, or stop for a cone at Go Ice Cream. They all closed this month, and there is already a new tenant in the Syrian spot.
Sometimes, location or a landlord is to blame. There is overhanging debt that post-pandemic revenue could not eradicate. Other times, it is competition that wasn’t in our market before 2020 (we got two Sweetgreens at once last year). The owners of some are ready to retire.
I was trying to figure out why news of a familiar business closing isn’t offset by the arrival of new places, because we are seeing a number of business launches in our area. The best explanation I can offer is that we are the sum of our parts.
If you love food, or good coffee, or are fond of a particular atmosphere, that becomes an element of your personality. Your comfort zone is a combination of all the places you enjoy.
You don’t have to eat or drink there every week, but you feel assured knowing that they are there, and you can stop by any time you like and get a warm greeting and a good meal.
I have a group of places where I like to go. I know the people, the menu, the approximate prices. I can walk to some, and can easily find parking for the others (yes, this is a determining factor in some parts of the country). I’m open to trying something new, of course, but I need to be in just the right mood to visit an unfamiliar place and start the process of getting acclimated.
An uneven era
Even though Washtenaw County has an active dining scene and there are at least five new places on my list to try, I keep heading for my old favorites.
This explains why people become restaurant regulars, dining at the same place every day, three times a week or weekly. In England, that’s called having a “local,” traditionally a pub where you stopped in for a pint.
The pandemic upset our expectations, however, and this unsettled period has added to our sense of uncertainty about the economy. That is why the statistic of job growth does not tell the whole story of where the industry is now.
The watchword for the moment might be “uneven.” I regularly see notices from small places saying they are unable to open for the day, due to an infrastructure issue, or informing guests that they will be temporarily closed, due to illness or staff shortages. Hours of operation and days when places are open remain fewer than before 2020.
For everyone - owners, staff and customers - flexibility is crucial. I can understand that frustration when people say, “I just want things to be the way they were.” I do, too. At least the numbers seem better, and that’s a big step forward from where we have been.
Feeding Striking U.A.W. Members
When the United Auto Workers union first walked off the job a month ago, doughnuts from a bakery in Livonia, Mich., began appearing in my Facebook timeline. Heritage Bakery was donating boxes of treats to members of U.A.W. Local 900, which represents workers at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant in nearby Wayne.
It turns out that the union local has an entire system for feeding its members on the picket line. I stopped into the union hall last week, and wrote about it for The Takeout.
Ebony Kennedy, the local’s community service chair, is in charge of keeping things running 24/7. A big cafeteria line inside the union hall provides both hot food, cooked by volunteers (including her mother) from donated ingredients, and grab and go items like pizza, sandwiches and beverages. There are big urns of coffee and hot chocolate, and family members are welcome.
Feeding strikers is a tradition that goes way back to the union’s roots. During the famous General Motors sit down strike of 1936-37, families cooked meals that they passed through the windows to workers occupying the factory in Flint, Mich.
The U.A.W. set up strike kitchens during the walkout at Ford in 1941 that finally won the union its recognition from the company. Ebony told me that a variety of local businesses and national franchises are donating food, including branches of Quiznos and Jimmy John’s. There are meatless and vegan items dropped off by Trader Joe’s.
I baked Ebony some M&M cookies in solidarity and in a tiny homage to all my fellow union members. I remember what it was like for my mother to be on strike for a month in January, so I hope there are deals soon.
A Chinese Restaurant Upbringing
Curtis Chin’s family owned Chung’s restaurant in Detroit’s tiny Chinatown. It was known for delicious almond boneless chicken - a sliced and breaded filet, like chicken katsu, topped with almonds and a flavorful gravy.
The area was kind of dicey when I was a young reporter working downtown, so I’d park right out in front, run in to get my bag of carry out, and take my meal home.
Now, Curtis has written a memoir of his coming of age. He talked to my friend Dan Pashman at The Sporkful about his family restaurant experience and his own journey as a gay man. Believe everything he says about that chicken. It was a classic dish.
Brits Are Tightening Their Dining Belts
The Guardian reports that cash-strapped Brits are cutting back on eating out and reining in on carry out to save up for the expensive Christmas season splurge.
The amount spent on going out to restaurants plunged 10.8 percent month over month in September, nearly double the decline of 5.8 percent in August, according to the latest UK consumer card spending figures from Barclays.
The growth in the amount the public spent on delivery and carry out (aka takeaway) has also slowed dramatically, from 9.2 percent of restaurant spending in August to 6.5 percent last month. Some 44 percent of those surveyed said they are starting to reduce discretionary spending to pay for Christmas.
I recently realized I haven’t gotten a single delivery meal since I came back to Ann Arbor. Thanks to our farmer’s market and a biweekly produce box, I cook about two-thirds of my meals. And while I’m glad I can get food delivered if I need it, I am happy to skip the fees, like my friends across the pond.
Tuesday Is Bonny Day
A note for my Ann Arbor area readers: this Tuesday marks the eighth anniversary of my mother Bonny Maynard’s death. We call it Bonny Day, and we try to do something nice for people. (You might remember that we paid for pie at the High Hat Cafe in New Orleans last year.)
This year, my brother and I are treating diners at Zingerman’s Roadhouse to complimentary gelato. Book a table at lunch or dinner (or breakfast, if you eat ice cream that early) and enjoy dessert on us. You’ll receive a coupon that you can exchange on the spot or keep for a future trip, while supplies last.
Be sure to tell your server that the Maynards sent you.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
A warm welcome to our new subscribers. I’m so pleased to have you join us. Extra appreciation to our paid subscribers. I hope you’re enjoying all your extra features, like Red Beans & Advice on Mondays, the CulinaryWoman Reading Room on Wednesdays and our giveaways. Please consider upgrading.
Here’s where you can find me.
Email: culinarywoman@gmail.com
Instagram and Threads: (@) michelinemaynard
Linked In: michelinemaynard
Website: www.michelinemaynard.com
If you are interested in the auto industry, please checked my sister Substack, Intersection: Everything That Moves. It is a serialized sequel to my 2003 book, The End of Detroit: How The Big Three Lost Their Grip On The American Car Market. I’m also posting breaking news on the U.A.W. strike, like this story from Friday.
I want to express my appreciation to Jeff Truant for this unexpected Linked In endorsement of Satisfaction Guaranteed.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see our paid subscribers tomorrow with Red Beans and everyone else next week.
Satisfaction Guaranteed: How Zingerman's Built a Corner Deli into a Global Food Community https://a.co/d/59ziFln