Server Not Servant

Archive for March, 2020

Open Letter to Boston Leaders, from Asia Mei, Chef/Small Business Owner-Moonshine 152 South Boston, MA

Book Chapter: Human-to-Human Service

Posted: 03/29/2020

Reiterating a few critical excerpts from my post on 3/13/20 calling for a 3-month rent reprieve for restaurants:

“Social media and our email inboxes are flooded with messages about what restaurants and small businesses are doing to survive in the face of the crisis…The fear and anxiety are real because many lives, livelihoods, and jobs have already been impacted, and many are at considerable risk.”

“There are huge risks to temporary closures (like losing staff), and not all operators can afford zero income for 12 weeks and survive. Those who don’t have the financial reserves to weather the storm will be forced to close without a lifeline or dramatic adjustment to how they conduct business.”

“Something drastic needs to happen to save many restaurants, shops, and small businesses teetering on the brink of closing. As I have often stated before, the restaurant business is one of the most difficult grinds to make a living, and the profit margins (if any) are painfully thin. Despite thin margins, restaurants and small businesses are often the first to donate gift certificates, food, and products to help local charities in their communities. Now it’s time for us to step up and help them survive.”

“Rhetoric is bullshit. ‘Buy local.’ ‘Shop local,’ and ‘Support small businesses that support our communities,’ mean nothing if we’re not willing to step up and help restaurants and small businesses on the brink of survival.”

On Sunday morning, I read the following letter on the Industry United Facebook Group from well-respected chef/owner, Asia Mei of Moonshine 152 in South Boston, MA. Asia is hard-working, humble, and pours her soul into her work, her staff, and her life. I’m sure she speaks for millions of owners and restaurant industry workers in America and around the world in her letter below. Shared with Asia’s permission.

**Emailed 3/28/20**

Hello Governor Baker, Mayor Walsh, Councilor Frank Baker, and Councilor Ricardo Arroyo–

I am so sorry that I have to reach out to you under circumstances like these. My Boston Family is constituted of many fiercely close friends, coworkers, and employees who have only spoken the highest of you, and my heart aches for the numerous complicated decisions you must have in front of you.

I am Asia Mei, the chef and owner of Moonshine 152 in Southie. We are the modern interpretation of a neighborhood bistro–a community driven small business, very much like a Cheers, where so much of the personality of the restaurant is composed of the people who frequent and work there. Councilor Baker, I believe you have visited yourself and been a patron at Moonshine several times over the years.

The vast majority of people that make up the regulars and staff at Moonshine are either Southie residents or from Dorchester. We have employed family members of the Bakers, Savin Hill families, and many who have originated from the D Street public housing development in Southie… many of which came to us with zero restaurant experience and were able to refocus their lives, learn/train, and become part of something much more than just a job.

I am like every small business owner in this city. I took a huge gamble, and poured my life savings, efforts, and dreams into this small business. Even with the current nightmarish circumstances, I would never take it back. Having been able to be a part of this community in a REAL way has been the biggest honor and pleasure of my life. I am a minority female, and even though the odds were always against us, striving to survive the tough industry was a battle that I was proud to be in to show people that living and working for their passions could be one and the same.

Moonshine 152 just celebrated it’s 5th anniversary, and ironically enough, with the loss of the parade and the ever-changing takeout/capacity restrictions, we never got to celebrate our 6th St. Patrick’s Day… Instead, on March 17th, we literally had to close.

The entire team is heartbroken. We were lucky enough to employ everyone from some of the longest tenured families in Dorchester to multiple people from your city offices. There wasn’t one person who didn’t say that Moonshine was the best job they’ve ever had, during the phone calls where I had to lay every single person off. This is a group of people, who like EVERYONE in the small business and restaurant industry in Boston, are not asking for extreme handouts; we are asking for a real way to go back to work and serve the city.

The small businesses/service industry needs expedited, significant relief. We NEED government mandated rent/mortgage freezes. Not all of us have landlords that will negotiate, and who can blame them if they are still responsible for the mortgages? Also, there is NO help from insurance. Personally, I will be held responsible for a year’s worth of full rent, no matter what. That isn’t my LLC, it is me. Declaring personal bankruptcy, bankruptcy of the small business, and losing the ability to employ and provide income for one of Boston’s hardest working teams will be a horrible reality.

If there is any way you can really help us, until more is figured out in the future with grants/loans, of course, it is through controlling rent both commercial and residential. THIS IS WITHIN YOUR CONTROL. I am not saying it is a solve-all, but all of these so-so, promissory “we will support and help small business” statements will not be enough. Our administration’s limited loans that further indebt us, the allowances to do takeout only–these are only bandaids for a system that is fundamentally broken now, and we need immediate and serious HELP.

I am a working chef and owner. I have worked every single day, 7/days a week, since we opened during the Snowpocalypse five years ago. In Southie, which is buried between the evolving neighborhood of Dorchester and the South End, Seaport, and Ink Block, we have been able to truly distinguish ourselves and stay true to EVERYTHING that I have found important to the community. We have always operated with integrity and would be heartbroken to lose that opportunity to be part of the community simply because the tight margins and restrictions didn’t make sense for the impact of this pandemic virus.

We poured over every permutation possible to stay open. Restaurants like ours not only would have continued to hemorrhage money due to the tight margins everyone is aware of–we were also receiving xenophobic threats and calls by the minute by staying open. That, in addition to the obvious concerns for the health and safety of my employees led to the necessity to close indefinitely. I also believe in doing all we can to “flatten the curve” to truly stop the virus as best we can. The struggle to reopen will not only be a burden about having had to pay things like past bills and rent while being closed, it will also be the unprecedented situation of finding our bearings in a new world. To have a chance, there needs to be help from top down, and it needs to be regulated.

Please feel free to contact me however you can if it helps. Yesterday, I converted my lifeless restaurant into a hub for much needed blood drives for the Red Cross, while I still could. In times like these, where there is such universal fear and self-preservation going on, we have to do what we can to be the best examples possible for those who follow us, and take care of each other. If you do not mandate help to the small business industries, we will not be able to be there on the flipside to provide service to the people the way it will be needed more than ever.

All of my best wishes and hopes for everything I know you can do for this city. We are all behind you, but we need your help too.

Best, Asia Mei

Email: Asia@moonshine152.com

Asia Twitter

Moonshine 152 Twitter

Asia Instagram

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Listen to Facts, Science & Experts-Shut it Down, Now, America. Humans Will Not ‘Do the Right Thing’ On Their Own

Book Chapter: Human-to-Human Service

Posted: 03/15/2020

It’s time to take the guesswork out of the equation and shut all non-essential businesses down, now. Yes, that includes dine-in restaurants. Given the facts and science, the crowds gathering in tight quarters in South Boston, MA last night were disgraceful. The joints packed to the gills with long lines down the sidewalk shot themselves in the foot. It was selfish and short-sighted. Shutting it all down now is the responsible thing to do for the greater good of all. And the US, state, and local governments sure as hell better step up and help restaurants, small businesses, and all of their employees suffering through this crisis. If we can spend trillions of dollars bailing out big banks in 2008, we sure as hell can take care of restaurants, small businesses and their workers, many, pillars of our communities.

Sad to say, but too many humans can’t be trusted to ‘do the right thing,’ despite great intentions. Please read this post from (Restaurant) Industry United group member, Danielle Egger:

Thank you for creating this group. As a former state health inspector and foodborne illness investigator/biological scientist, I’d like to weigh in on this.
I understand closing restaurant doors is going to be financially devastating for many folks (I’m in the biz – this impacts me as well). We all have to make a living. However, this is a special circumstance that affects EVERYONE – not just the restaurant industry.
While we’d like to believe our restaurants are practicing the sanitation plans they claim to have activated in light of this situation, let’s be real. It’s not possible for them to maintain those standards when they’re 20 people deep at the bar.
Yes I was guilty of being in the masses yesterday. NO MORE. I’m not going to throw the restaurant under the bus, because every single restaurant here has the same issues – no matter how well they’ve trained their staff.
The restaurant I visited yesterday posted signs adamantly stating their “increased sanitation measures”. Here is a list of violations I observed while sitting at the bar:

1. On 14 different occasions, servers pushed the tongs out of the way to grab fruit garnishes with their bare hands. Four of those servers were observed handling cash immediately before touching the garnishes. No hand washing.
2. A bartender cleared soiled plates and glasses from the bar to the bus tub, then proceeded to reach – with their bare, unwashed hands – into the mint to make mojitos. No hand washing.
3. The wet rags were not placed in sanitizer solution between wiping down soiled spots at the bar.
4. The sanitizer solution in the pail was heavily soiled with food debris, visible from ten feet away. Food debris drastically reduces the efficacy of the sanitizer.
5. The fruit garnish tray was wide open and directly in front of where patrons walked up to order drinks. This includes one gentleman who graciously turned his head 20° to the right to sneeze.
6. The 3 compartment sink water was cruddy – all three compartments.
7. We were there for approximately 2.5 hours. In that 2.5 hours, ONE bartender washed his hands. ONE, folks. And it was one time. The cash changing hands here was too frequent to count.
8. Servers were scooping ice with cups instead of a handled scoop. The cup they just handled with their unwashed hands has now potentially contaminated the ice.
9. The bar caddies were placed with unwrapped straws directly in front of bar patrons, some of which reached over those straws to pay the bartender, coming in physical contact with the straws.
10. The menus were sticky and visibly soiled.
11. The condiment baskets were also sticky and visibly soiled.
I’m not blaming the staff. They were in the weeds and just trying to pump out the orders. This is the pattern everywhere, though.
No matter how well written your “increased sanitation measures” may be, they’re only as effective as the team that follows them.”

I will repeat one more thing I have shared everywhere I could: Restaurants, small businesses, and their teams are the first to answer the call and donate their spaces, time, creative effort and energy, food, drink, gift certificates and hospitality for people who are hurting and charitable causes in their neighborhoods and communities. It’s time that we step up and demonstrate our appreciation as neighbors and a nation and prove that we really mean that “we’re all in this together” and save their lives and livelihoods, please. Thank you-Patrick Maguire

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Rent Reprieve-Emergency Legislation Required to Save Restaurants & Small Businesses

Book Chapter: Human-to-Human Service

Posted: 03/13/2020

The notifications popping up on our phones are relentless. Disneyland shutting down, travel banned, Broadway shows suspended, pro sports suspended, March Madness cancelled, Boston Marathon postponed, the stock market wiped out, and hoarding of supplies underscores the severity of the pandemic. Amidst the chaos, one of the scariest realities is that no one knows how bad things are actually going to get before they get better. Even the most cynical should temper their sarcasm and mockery–‘this shit is real,’ and no one is exempt.

Social media and our email inboxes are flooded with messages about what restaurants and small businesses are doing to survive in the face of the crisis. After a while, they all start to sound the same. The fear and anxiety are real because many lives, livelihoods, and jobs have already been impacted, and many are at considerable risk.

Restaurant Business Magazine featured a story by Heather Lalley titled, “Is Seattle’s Restaurant Emergency  a Sign of Things to Come for the Industry? Restaurants in the biggest city in the first state hit by coronavirus are struggling to survive amid the quarantines.” From the piece:

Washington was the first state to report a coronavirus case. And, in the weeks since, its restaurant industry has been shaken to its core.

At least a half-dozen Seattle restaurants have closed permanently, according to local media reports and restaurant social media, and more than a dozen have announced temporary closures, including the stunning announcement late Wednesday that Seattle’s best-known chef and restaurateur Tom Douglas would be temporarily closing all 12 of his establishments, effective Sunday, after sales declined up to 90% since the outbreak began, according to The Seattle Times.

“I am sad for our city,” Douglas told The Times. “It’s tough going for Seattle now. I am optimistic [that] at the end of the day, in eight to 12 weeks, we will be back at it.” 

There are huge risks to temporary closures (like losing staff), and not all operators can afford zero income for 12 weeks and survive. Those who don’t have the financial reserves to weather the storm will be forced to close without a lifeline or dramatic adjustment to how they conduct business. From the same RB piece, here is how one restaurateur is adapting:

Award-winning fine-dining bastion Canlis announced Thursday it will temporarily shutter its restaurant Monday and open three new concepts in its place: A “bagel shed” for breakfast, a drive-thru burger spot for lunch and a family-meal delivery service for dinner.

“Fine dining is not what Seattle needs right now,” Canlis said in a Facebook post. “Instead, this is one idea for safely creating jobs for our employees while serving as much of the city as we can.”

Restaurant operators and staff are beyond anxious and searching for creative solutions beyond the obvious. Short of modifying their whole business plan, some are taking thoughtful, proactive steps to adjust the best they can. This Instagram post from Mom & Pop, full service restaurant, Farmstead Table in Newton, MA is a good example:

The Ashmont Grill, another independent restaurant in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, posted the following;

And the good, neighborly folks at Narragansett Beer posted this, including the excellent idea of buying gift certificates online or by phone from their partner restaurants and retail stores for future use;

If enough people step up, this will help, but it’s not nearly enough. Something drastic needs to happen to save many restaurants, shops, and small businesses teetering on the brink of closing. As I have often stated before, the restaurant business is one of the most difficult grinds to make a living, and the profit margins (if any) are painfully thin. Despite thin margins, restaurants and small businesses are often the first to donate gift certificates, food, and products to help local charities in their communities. Now it’s time for us to step up and help them survive.

In an almost unprecedented move, Irene Li, the well-respected chef/owner of Mei Mei, a counter service restaurant in Boston, MA, shared her full profit-and-loss for Mei Mei for 2019 with Eater this week. The piece is titled, What Does It Really Cost to Run a Restaurant? From the piece, “I have always thought to myself that the version of Top Chef that I would want to watch would be chef-owners plunging a toilet, cleaning an overflowing grease trap, balancing a balance sheet, and running payroll as fast as they could — a decathlon of all the administrative bullshit,” says Irene Li, the chef and owner of Mei Mei, a Chinese-American restaurant in Boston. “And obviously, people would be bored to death by that show, but that’s what it really is.”  I strongly encourage you to read the full piece.

I love the Eater piece, and Li’s subsequent, genuine commentary in a webinar the evening the article was released. Her transparency, candor, and humility are very refreshing.  A few things stood out after studying the piece and webinar. Li cares very deeply about her staff, their compensation, benefits, and quality of life, her vendors, her mission, and how she conducts every aspect of her business. The monthly rent at Mei Mei is $7,225. On $1,215,000 in income, including paying herself a VERY modest salary, the net income total (‘profit’) was only $22,116(1.8%). And that’s before paying taxes, debts, investors, new equipment/improvements, or into an emergency ‘cash reserve’ fund. Obviously, this is just one example, but it’s real and more common than most customers and restaurant staff are aware of.

Given extremely thin ‘profit’ margins across the industry, many restaurants and small businesses are a minor ‘event’ away from closing, never mind a major pandemic. We need to talk about tangible steps to save these business, now.

Walking to one of my neighborhood ‘locals’ last night (Thursday) was eerie. When I walked in at 8pm, there were 12 people in the entire 75-seat restaurant. One of the servers said, “It feels like The Twilight Zone.” I responded, “It reminds me of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” As I enjoyed my Manhattan at the bar, I read the Eater NY piece: “Starting Friday at 5 p.m., all venues in the state seating 500 people or less will need to reduce capacity by 50 percent — including restaurants and bars, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday afternoon. Events for more than 500 people have been completely banned. It’s the latest measure hoping to curb the spread of COVID-19 as numbers rise in New York. As of press time, New York City had 95 confirmed cases, while the state had nearly 330. Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency.”

Mayor de Blasio issued a statement on the official website of the City of New York, “The City will provide relief for small businesses across the City seeing a reduction in revenue because of COVID-19. Businesses with fewer than 100 employees who have seen sales decreases of 25% or more will be eligible for zero interest loans of up to $75,000 to help mitigate losses in profit. The City is also offering small businesses with fewer than 5 employees a grant to cover 40% of payroll costs for two months (an average of $6,000) to help retain employees.”

Ideas and information are coming at us fast and furious, and it’s extremely hard to keep up, pivot, and adapt to our “new reality.” I realize that the federal government is working on emergency legislation for paid sick leave and unemployment benefits in order for restaurants, small businesses and their staff to survive, but I believe we need to do more that. If we can bailout big banks (to the tune of trillions of $$ in 2008), we can certainly take care of some of the most important people in our communities and our country, the owners and workers at restaurants and small businesses.

I propose that the US federal government (and worldwide governments) immediately create a tax incentive for landlords to give restaurants and small businesses a 3-month reprieve on rent beginning on 4/1 to allow them to breathe, take care of their employees, and plan next steps for their survival. It’s almost impossible to strategize when you’re preoccupied and stressing about money and day-to-day survival. And it’s easy to mandate that restaurants and small businesses offer more sick days, but very hard to cover the cost when you’re living week-to-week.

This rent reprieve would not be an advance or a loan, it’s money that would not be paid back. Yes, conditions would need to be included to prevent the incentive from being exploited, but this immediate savings could be the difference between shutting down on 4/1 and a renewed sense of hope for thousands of restaurants and small businesses across America. If something like this doesn’t happen, thousands of small businesses will tragically close for good in the next few weeks. In the case of Mei Mei above (and many others), 3 months of rent is the equivalent of their entire ‘profit’ for a year. This proposed rent reprieve could make or break them, and at least gives them a chance for survival. If we truly are “all in this together,” we need to prove it at every level. I will be sharing this idea far and wide, and with every public servant I know, hoping it gains traction. I encourage you to do the same.

These are drastic times that call for drastic measures. As my dad (and many others of his generation) would say, “Money talks and bullshit walks.” Rhetoric is bullshit. ‘Buy local.’ ‘Shop local,’ and ‘Support small businesses that support our communities,’ mean nothing if we’re not willing to step up and help restaurants and small businesses on the brink of survival.

I will add to the list of resources below as I discover them. Please fell free to email at Patrick@servernotservant.com, or add more resources and ideas in the comments. Thank you-Patrick

Industry United is a Facebook Group dedicated to informing and educating the restaurant industry about the COVID-19 outbreak. It is a place to ask questions pertaining to your restaurant, staff, safety and general information.

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