How long can local restaurants survive amid the coronavirus?
Two months ago, chef Kristian Niemi had 70 employees at his two fine dining restaurants — Bourbon on Main Street in Columbia and Black Rooster, a new property on Meeting Street in West Columbia.
Today, Bourbon is closed and Black Rooster is working with a skeleton crew of three people, preparing dishes for carryout. His business is off 75 to 80 percent.
In Five Points, business at dining icon Yesterdays is off 50 percent, even with a cadre of loyal diners who are still ordering out chicken fried steak and shrimp and grits — and some dropping fat tips for the staff.
And the popular local chain Lizard’s Thicket, despite having drive-thru windows at most of its 15 restaurants, has also seen business cut in half.
“This is usually the best time of the year for us,” Lizard’s Thicket CEO Bobby Williams said. “High school graduations, The Masters. This is taking a tremendous amount of money out of this city. This is the worst event of our lives.”
Gov. Henry McMaster two weeks ago ordered all dining rooms closed, but continued to allow takeout, drive-thru and curbside service. He even expanded curbside service to include closed containers of beer and wine to be consumed off premises.
But so far, the governor has stopped short of a complete statewide lockdown of all residents, although Columbia and Charleston have.
And while business is historically bad, the worst may still be to come.
Williams, chairman of the S.C. Restaurants and Lodging Association, predicted that some restaurants may begin closing their doors permanently, maybe as early as June.
“You’re going to see a lot of people closing up,” he said.
Added Steve Cook, owner of Saluda’s restaurant and chairman of the Five Points Association., “You couldn’t design a better weapon to kill small businesses than this. And restaurants are the first in line.”
But there is a ray of sunlight in this more-than-gloomy forecast, restaurateurs said.
New local, state and federal relief programs — including the $2.2 trillion relief program passed by Congress on Friday — provide a toolbox of incentives, from forgivable loans to meet payroll to increased unemployment benefits to workers whose businesses shut down. They could stem the rising COVID-19 financial threat, restaurant owners said.
”Easy cash is an easy answer in the short term,” Cook said. “I’m not looking for a handout, but this is an extraordinarily difficult time. I don’t think that people know what is in all this (the stimulus packages) yet. But I think it can be a game changer.”
Niemi suggested small business owners begin to explore those options now.
“My biggest piece of advice is to get with their accountants immediately and get any information about any relief packages,” he said. “Everybody is lining up, and if you don’t have your stuff together you may get left behind.”
Cook said the relief packages might save some businesses, but they may morph into another form.
“This could last for years,” he said. “Will people want to sit elbow-to-elbow in a restaurant in a few months? I just want to come to the other side with the same model. I don’t want to put in two more fryers and deliver wings. But you are going to have to be adaptive and flexible. Your old model is not going to work. It’s like the wild wild west out there now.”
Barnes, co-owner of Yesterdays, which has been serving up country cooking, Lowcountry cuisine and bar food since 1977, said he and his partners will decide this week whether to close the restaurant for remodeling, which was already in the works.
“We’re considering, for the safety of our employees, whether we’re going to close,” he said. “Today and tomorrow we are debating what our schedule might be. Do we stay open? Or close and let the employees collect their unemployment?
“Everybody is just trying to work out the details,” he said. “The next couple of days are going to be huge.”
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
The coronavirus is spreading in the United States. Officials are urging people to take precautions to avoid getting sick, and to avoid spreading the disease if they do contract it.
Click the drop-down icon on this card for more on the virus and what you should do to keep yourself and those around you healthy.
What is coronavirus?
Coronavirus is an infection of the respiratory system similar to the flu. Coronaviruses are a class of viruses that regularly cause illnesses among adults and children, but this outbreak has spawned a new disease called COVID-19, a particularly harsh respiratory condition that can lead to death.
Health officials believe COVID-19 spread from animals to humans somewhere in China. It spreads among humans by physical person-to-person contact, including via coughs. That’s why health officials urge sick individuals to avoid contact with other people.
For more information, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms are similar to the flu and include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.
How can I stop the spread of the coronavirus?
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
If you develop symptoms similar to the coronavirus, you should seek medical attention. Stay home from work or school and avoid contact with others. It can take up to 14 days after coming into contact with the virus to develop symptoms.
COVID-19 is a new condition and there’s much about the disease we still don’t understand. For now, taking precautions is the best way to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "How long can local restaurants survive amid the coronavirus?."