Ask Governor Murphy to Increase Capacity and Hours of Operation
Sign Petition. As our COVID-19 numbers in New Jersey start to improve and more New Jerseyan’s receive their vaccinations, the mandates on the restaurant industry must improve. Month after month, we have proven – and you have publicly agreed – that restaurants and wedding venues are not COVID “super spreaders” that many believed they might be early on. We currently are limited to just 25% occupancy and have a 10:00 p.m. curfew. With the hospitalization rate and the rate of transmission stabilized over the past weeks, we are hopeful that you will consider loosening restrictions so that thousands of New Jersey employees can return to work over the coming weeks. The 10:00 p.m. curfew has been extremely challenging for restaurants of every type — fine dining to casual dining and everywhere in between – and has had the opposite effect of what you intended. We need a responsible re-opening of the restaurant industry, and we need it now. We implore you to consider lifting these restrictions on the restaurant and hospitality industry as soon as possible.
Click here to sign the petition
Murphy Expands Small Business Lease Assistance Grant Program
An additional $5 million has been allocated to SBL-EAGP. Gov. Phil Murphy announced an additional $5 million has been allocated to the Small Business Lease – Emergency Assistance Grant Program (SBL-EAGP), which allows businesses in 64 legislatively designated municipalities to apply for grants of up to $10,000 for lease costs. The program, which has already allocated $10 million to roughly 1,000 businesses, assists small business owners impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. “This program has helped nearly 1,000 small businesses owners pay their leases during the unprecedented economic fallout from COVID-19,” said Governor Murphy. “The Small Business Lease – Emergency Assistance Grant program is one of many we have stood up over the past year in an effort to help small businesses weather this storm.” The program is targeted to businesses with 5,000 square feet of leased space or less and requires standard debarment and legal qualifications from applying businesses. Applications can be found online, and funds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The application opens on Monday, February 22nd at 9:00 a.m. and will remain open until the funds are exhausted.
Democrats Introduce Restaurant Bailout
In 2021 budget resolution. Congress filed a 2021 joint budget resolution on Monday to provide “urgently needed” funding for COVID-19 relief through Pres. Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. The joint budget resolution offers instructions to relevant Congressional committees like providing “additional relief for nation’s small businesses and hard-hit industries” including “a dedicated grant relief program for restaurants” totaling $25 billion, along with other plans to help save entertainment and cultural institutions. A $25 billion restaurant recovery fund has the potential to be a game-changer for tens of thousands of restaurants on the verge of closing,” National Restaurant Association executive vice president of public affairs Sean Kennedy said in a statement. “2020 ended with the industry slipping into a double-dip recession and losing nearly 400,000 jobs, highlighting the unique challenges restaurant owners and our employees are still facing.”
How to Pump $700 Million a Day
Into the Restaurant industry. Will your neighborhood restaurants still be there when the Covid-19 pandemic ends? It’s likely you already know of eateries in your own hometown that have shut down for good in the past year. American Express estimates that the simple act of ordering takeout can generate, on average, more than $700 million in daily sales for independent restaurants, based on average takeout sales per restaurant and the total number of small restaurants in the U.S. A simple way to help save your local restaurant industry is to order in for lunch on a regular basis, says AmEx. Remote work has killed lunchtime takeout orders across the country, with 81% of restaurant owners reporting a decline in lunch business since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. To help save more independent restaurants, American Express and Resy have teamed up for the “Order In, Help Out” campaign to make Takeout Tuesday a weekly occurrence. The initiative is an extension of American Express’ “Shop Small” effort to support small businesses. The rationale: By ordering takeout on Tuesdays, one of the slowest days of the week for restaurants, everyday Americans can help their hometown cafes and restaurants survive the pandemic.
Entertainment Boosts the Outdoor Dining Experience
These changes will continue to pay dividends throughout 2021 and beyond. Outdoor dining in particular has been a lifeline for restaurants that have been forced to reduce or eliminate their indoor dining room capacity amid the pandemic. Operators invested in furniture, decor and other infrastructure to create an outdoor experience that made their guests feel safe and comfortable. Some operators built outdoor decks or patios and added elements such as planters, umbrellas and partitions. Restaurants also extended their seating areas on sidewalks, streets and parking lots as local municipalities around the country not only relaxed restrictions on such activities but encouraged it. Spring sports will soon be in full swing, and after a year spent mostly cooped up at home, consumers will be ready to enjoy watching games in the type of outdoor environments that their neighborhood restaurants can provide. To accompany their strong sports lineups, operators can add related decor such as local sports paraphernalia and create special game-day menus—perhaps reflecting local sports stadium fare. Promotions can be designed to encourage repeat visits throughout the season, so that the outdoor seating areas become destinations for hungry fans. Making TV programming available for outdoor guests can also be a powerful marketing tool to attract customers off the street.
5 Restaurants on Why They’re Hibernating This Winter
Owners are taking a seasonal break. As the pandemic drags on this winter, much of the city that never sleeps is taking an extended snooze. This is especially true for restaurants, several of which are going into hibernation mode instead of braving the financially risky and uncomfortable conditions of outdoor service. Although Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s recent decision to bring back indoor service at 25 percent capacity on Feb. 14 gives the restaurant scene a glimmer of hope, some owners remain unsure about exactly how or when they will reopen. So., for now, they hibernate. After working 14-plus-hour days, seven days a week for years, Enrique Lerma, the owner of Alison, in East Harlem closed his restaurant on Dec. 20 and hopes to reopen in the spring. He is taking the time to re-envision the menu, fix kitchen tiles and do what he can to support employees who are ineligible for government benefits. He is “burning through savings,” he said.
Contactless-Chic
Is the restaurant trend of the future. In an industry where ambience and customer service have traditionally reigned supreme, restaurateurs of a post-pandemic future must find a way to embrace “contactless chic”— healthy, purpose-driven luxury without all the face-to-face contact. A demand for fewer indoor and human touch points will take a little technology and a lot of creativity. Transparent and innovative dining experiences that reflect a slick and tightly branded offering with an online storefront will be the new winners of the restaurant industry. Restaurants of the future will be forced to re-imagine the words customer service, experience and ambience. High value, well branded restaurants that have the foresight to transition to low contact touch points will be the winners of the future. Here’s where contactless is heading in 2021 and beyond.
Sam Nazarian’s C3 Ghost Kitchen Concept
To set up shop in hotels. There’s a vacancy in hotel foodservice, and a ghost kitchen is checking in. In a new spin on the model, ghost kitchen concept C3 said last week it is teaming up with a hotel chain to operate delivery-focused food halls inside its properties. Guests at the boutique hotels will be able to dine in at Graduate Food Hall, and the menus will also be available for delivery to the public via third-party apps and eventually a dedicated C3 app. “The partnership between C3 and Graduate will set the precedent for the future of hotel dining,” said C3 founder Sam Nazarian in a statement. “This setup not only supports and supplements in-room hotel dining and on-site catering, it also streamlines the ordering process and extends the hotel’s reach within the local community.”
All-Girl Teen Coding Team Develops App
That rates restaurants on COVID-19 safety. Generation Z has been making headlines all year long for their savvy, often political use of technology, and it makes clear sense why. Often referred to as the first generation of “digital natives,” Gen Z is known for their lifetime immersion in technology and how it affects the way they learn and communicate. It comes as no surprise, then, that many Gen Z’ers are adept at using personal technology and are already figuring out innovative ways to make a social impact using technology. One such way is through the creation of breakthrough mobile applications, some of which are being coded and marketed by those not even old enough to vote. The award-winning application, which is still in the development phase, was conceived with the purpose of “finding restaurants dedicated to keeping customers and employees safe from COVID-19,” according to their website. “Through our review app, users can find the places that best follow CDC pandemic regulations, while providing resources for users to support local businesses during quarantine.”
Did You Know?
More couples are embracing edgy, adventurous weddings. Brides and grooms once felt compelled to conform to the trappings of traditional weddings. From uber-romantic vows to pastel colors to the penultimate, white-tiered cake, various wedding components were long considered must-haves. But modern couples are increasingly expressing their individuality, and even embracing more edgy and adventurous elements, when planning their weddings. According to The Knot, a leading bridal resource and information site, today’s weddings are not what they were just a few years ago. Bold colors, exotic cakes and nontraditional foliage are just some of the elements modern couples are embracing to set their weddings apart. Adventurous locales, vineyards and catering halls can be great places to tie the knot, but couples who like to push the envelope are looking to more adventurous locations to impart their unique spin on their weddings.
Employee Tip
Why restaurants need a sexual harassment policy. More sexual harassment claims are filed in the restaurant industry than any other, with as many as 90 percent of women and 70 percent of men having experienced sexual harassment in the industry. On top of that, the #MeToo movement has brought sexual harassment to the forefront of many conversations about workers’ rights. As a result, more and more states are passing laws requiring businesses to have sexual harassment policies. Whether a recent change in your state’s law has made sexual harassment training mandatory or you’re simply trying to create a safer, more comfortable workspace, having a sexual harassment policy is important.
Bielat Santore & Company – Restaurant Industry Daily Alerts
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The Little Black Book on Small Business Financing
Bielat Santore & Company is teaming up with SCORE NJ, the states’ largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors in a series of webinars on small business financing for the hospitality industry. The initial webinar will be presented on Thursday, March 4th.
Shortly thereafter Bielat Santore & Company will be releasing its newest library resource, “The Little Black Book on Small Business Financing.” This handbook will describe the financing sources available to small businesses, outline the steps necessary in preparing the requisition package required to obtain such financing and provide a glossary of financing terms you may or may not be familiar with. You can find this valuable resource on our company website’s “Resource Library” page below. Keep your eyes open for it’s release!