Did you have any idea or warning signs that a shutdown could happen?
Things were developing very quickly. In the week leading up to the shutdown, we held a meeting to discuss how to sanitize the spaces for safety. A few days later, things evolved into the shutdown. Honestly, I never expected that in a million years. Fortunately, one of my business partners, Christine Williams, is the kind of person who envisions the worst-case scenario for our business. She always thinks, what is the worst thing that can happen to our business? We have more money in the bank compared to most bars or restaurants in general, so she built a bigger financial cushion for us.
How did you deal with employees when things started shutting down?
Since we didn’t know what was going to happen, our suggestion was to move to unemployment as soon as possible. We knew that the unemployment system would probably get overwhelmed, but we really urged everyone to do it. A lot of restaurant staff can be transient, but we have many people who have been with us for six or seven years, and we kept in touch with them about what we know and what we suggest they do.
The kitchen staff had a slightly different situation. We kept them afloat throughout this period and continued to pay them because many of them had no option to apply for unemployment. I quickly started a GoFundMe page, and I’m very happy that a lot of that money went to the kitchen.
What happened after the initial shutdown?
We were completely closed for a while. Then we started offering cocktails for pre-order only, where people could order them in advance and pick them up twice a week. Since it was still very dangerous in New York, it heavily relied on the restaurant owners. Tom, Clover Club’s partner, would go on Thursdays and assemble the cocktails and bottle them up. Then I would go on Fridays, print all the orders, pack everything up, and stand at the front of the place and wait for people to come to pick up their orders. From six feet away, I’d say, “What’s your name?” and I’d grab their bag and put it on the table, then step back and they’d take the bag. There wasn’t a lot of money; we were doing everything from Clover only because we had limited capability and were trying to avoid having all those people at the same time.
We did that for a few weeks, and then when they allowed us to open for takeout food, we did that with a table at the front door. Leyenda has windows that are like natural food truck windows. They could open the windows from both sides and let people walk up, place their orders, and take them with them. We did that for a while, then they allowed us to sit out in the streets, which was great and frustrating at the same time.
The city issued its rules and regulations, saying you have to have this size and this height and this width, and we jumped on it right away because restaurants were dying. We had been closed for two months, and we were doing almost nothing in sales with takeout. We had a contractor we worked with to build both Clover and Leyenda. On Smith Street in Brooklyn, our block looked great and everything was uniform. Then the city changed the rules again within days. They said if you are on a two-way street, you have to have a barrier that’s 18 inches wide. But if it’s a one-way street, like Smith Street, there has to be a certain height, etc., now that you are keeping six feet between all tables. We eventually had to build the outdoor spaces twice, so the contractor had to come back and change it, costing us money to rebuild. The crazy thing is [NYC DOT] came and gave us a citation, saying, “Fix this within 24 hours.” So we fixed it, and now we have seating outside.
How
Have you internally adapted since reopening?
Hiring has definitely been tough. A lot of our people, including the servers and bartenders and cocktail staff, have left the city. So, with the reopening and unemployment, we had very few people we could bring back to the front. So, I am now the head server. My partner Christine and Tom and I, it’s an owner’s offer, but how sustainable is it? I’m serving food for seven hours, and I’m the owner. I’m not supposed to be serving full-time. It doesn’t bother me, I started as a cocktail waitress, but now I’m 49 years old. I don’t want to work as a full-time cocktail waitress four days a week because it’s exhausting.
What about security concerns, especially regarding crowd issues?
I feel more grateful than ever to live in “Brooklyn bubble.” In my neighborhood, everyone wears a mask. Everyone who comes to our place only comes to go to the bathroom, if they have to, and in that case, they wear a mask. A lot of people, when we approach the table, will put their masks on. People have been very polite and grateful to be able to go out to eat. They want to maintain the safety and freedom we currently have. Being able to sit outside and have dinner is a luxury compared to where we were in April.
What have you learned from this whole experience?
I have spent my entire life building a career based on gathering people to celebrate things, or just to talk, or just for everyday life. It’s a scary thought that we can’t do that. I don’t know how long this situation will last, and I hate the term “the new normal.” Certainly, I’ve rethought my career and how I can pivot to things I can do.
My brother-in-law’s sister works in Pandora sales. She usually takes clients to concerts and restaurants, but she can’t do that anymore. So I told her what if we did a virtual class together. I’d put together a box [of ingredients] and send it to her clients, and we’d do a virtual class online. I’ve conducted about two cocktail classes a week with her clients, and it’s been a really great experience. So, I’m expanding and creating new businesses I can do from home.
At least you’re finding new ways in a field you have expertise in.
It’s all I know how to do. I also have a book focused on making drinks at home. It’s called The Craft Cocktail Party: Delicious Drinks for Every Occasion and it’s about entertaining at home. So it fits this time [staying at home], and I’m reaching people without being within breathing distance of them.
What do you hope for the future?
With the bars, we’re just trying to hang on. Fortunately, the owner gave us a decrease in rent for this year, which is amazing. But there was one particular day I woke up and was crying in bed, thinking that I didn’t even want to get out of bed today. Everything I’ve worked for for 20 years might be ending. What do we do? So there have been some of those days.
I’ve been in this industry for over 20 years. I love being able to facilitate a fun time for people, to provide a great place for them to come and meet their friends and escape all the stresses of life. I hope we can get back to being here safely again.
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