Photo credit: Cole Vandermause
A sign outside of Press au Marche's storefront in the Third Ward shares that the cafe is closed until further notice.
When orders came from local and state government to halt dine-in service last week because of COVID-19, one thing was clear: This is an unprecedented new era for restaurants. Though the shutdown will be temporary, no one has any idea when it might end. Even if restaurants and bars are able to resume normal operations in April, significant damage to small businesses and its employees is already done.
Normally, I would be writing a roundup of this month’s new Milwaukee restaurant openings. There were a few that had the terribly unlucky timing of opening in the beginning of the month, but like all the others, have either shut down completely or close to it. I hope to be able to feature those new restaurants in next month’s New in Milwaukee column.
Instead, I am writing about the decimation of an industry that so many of us love. Milwaukee's booming dining and bar scene has been one of our standout features for years now, attracting national attention with its creativity, uniqueness and a grounded sense of local pride. Now it's in crisis.
Restaurants have such a thin profit margin that they essentially run month-to-month and on credit. There are no cash reserves that owners can dip into, and really no plan for a total shut down. Who would ever expect a state-wide shut down of an entire industry, especially one that is so integrated with daily life?
Overnight, it became impossible for restaurateurs to pay their employees. Thousands of service industry workers, which are an estimated 9 percent of the Wisconsin work force according to the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, have been laid off. Restaurant owners are trying to help their former employees as much as possible, including setting up crowdfunding campaigns and giving them their fresh food to feed their families before it all goes bad.
Many restaurants have decided to adapt to the situation as best as possible and offer takeout and delivery, allowing them to still employ a skeleton staff. Overall, the response from the community has been enthusiastic, and restaurants are posting on social media about how busy they've been with takeout, videos of massive lines of cars waiting for fish frys and thanking people for patience as they run out of food early in the day because they don't know what demand will be like. Other restaurants, like Don's Diner & Cocktails and Braise, have gotten creative and are selling liquor, packaged food and even hand sanitizer and toilet paper as a way to diversify and offer a needed community service.
This offers customers a few opportunities. One, of course, is a way to still support local restaurants and workers who need help right now more than ever. Two, ordering takeout or delivery while you’re stuck at home breaks up the monotony and gives everyone something to look forward to. And three, it offers a chance to try high-end restaurants informally. Places like Sanford, Odd Duck, Amilinda and Third Coast Provisions all have takeout now, and it’s a great opportunity to try a new-to-you spot that's been on your list for a while.
Unfortunately, there are more than a few restaurants (and pretty much all bars) that have decided to simply close, including all Bartolotta and Lowlands Group restaurants, plus a number of small mom-and-pop places. While most have announced that the closure is temporary, there will be restaurants that cannot weather this storm and will not reopen.
Many restaurateurs have called on local government for help. In an open letter to Speaker Robin Vos and Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, dozens of local bars and restaurants have asked for immediate financial relief. “After witnessing the hardships that our staff and businesses are currently experiencing, we have identified the following actions as critical:
- Support emergency unemployment benefits for all affected restaurant and bar workers, hourly and salaried;
- Suspend payroll taxes and sales and use taxes immediately;
- Enact rent, mortgage, utility bill and loan abatement for restaurant and bar workers; and
- Enact rent freeze and mortgage abatement for restaurants and bars.”
Whether any of that relief comes is anyone's guess. We do know that almost 63,000 people filed for unemployment in Wisconsin just last week, according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. It's safe to guess that most of those are from the hospitality industry.
In the meantime, there are some things that you can do to support the industry, even when you're self-isolating at home. Order takeout and delivery from your favorite local restaurants if they offer it. Call them directly as opposed to using a delivery service, because third party delivery services often add restaurants to their platform without permission. (If a restaurant contracts with a third party delivery service, then feel free to use it.) Buy gift cards, restaurant merchandise, or add liquor to your order if the restaurant offers them. Tip well to help make up for lost revenue or donate to the various crowdfunding campaigns. Be patient if something is forgotten or an order is wrong. Restaurants are trying to figure this whole thing out with the rest of us. And finally, call your Senators and local politicians and demand that they address the crisis in the service industry, because the only way it will survive intact is with government intervention.
