SUGAR BAKESHOP

Words and photo by Padideh Aghanoury

SUGARBAKESHOP

So many local businesses have been languishing during this pandemic. Downtown Denver is starting to look like SoHo, where empty storefronts outnumber operating businesses. With practically non-existent aid from the government, most businesses have been left to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, this means that many businesses couldn’t weather the downturn of traffic, and day-by-day, the number of businesses folding under unsustainable economic pressure grows. Restaurants in particular have been met with some of the biggest challenges during the pandemic. Even before the pandemic, the profitability and viability—and therefore, subsequent success—of a restaurant was a long shot. The overhead costs of operating a restaurant, from staff to ingredients to rent, gobble up nearly all profits made. In fact, 60 percent of restaurants fail within the first year, and 80 percent go under in five years. And these are all pre-pandemic numbers. In Denver, by March 14, restaurant reservations plummeted by 46 percent when compared year-to-year. In-person dining sustains many Denver restaurants, especially in neighborhoods with high foot traffic. Very few uniform protocols have been put in place for restaurants operating in Denver, mask mandates notwithstanding. So, customers are confused if places are open, if they do take-out, and if dining in is an option. Nearly 100 restaurants in Denver closed for good following the two-month, mandated, statewide closure in March and limited dining capacity through the summer. According to Westword, as of November 12, 91 percent of restaurants reported that sales were down by an average of 40 percent for summer 2020, compared to summer 2019. Others reopened with very limited hours and a skeleton of their former staff. Seventy-eight percent of restaurants reported that their staffs are smaller than they were this time last year. But, incredibly, some places around Denver have managed to keep their doors open with quick and intelligent adaptations to operating during the pandemic. One of those restaurants is none other than Sugar Bakeshop, located on South Broadway and 3rd Ave. The owner, Natalie Slevin, can be spotted behind the counter, hard at work, even before the pandemic. So, when it came to trimming the fat, outside of a change in operating hours, Slevin didn’t need to make too much of a change in staffing. In order to keep orders socially distanced, a table is laid out in front with a menu, and a card reader sits next to it. A staff member stands at the other side of the table with ample distance and takes the order. The customer then inserts their card, so no physical exchange happens between the customer and staff. The staff member brings the order to the table and drops it off at one end, always maintaining a safe distance. Tasty seasonal cakes, breakfast pastries, and a variety of vegan treats fly out the door at Sugar Bakeshop. The menu is constantly changing as well, giving customers even more reason to keep coming back. And the relief of being able to grab a delicious, gluten-free coffee cake without potentially risking your life is certainly an added appeal, too. Even with their abbreviated hours, Slevin says, “We’ve been lucky to have enough consistent business to stay afloat.” And, as long as the bakery continues to take adequate safety precautions and keeps making amazing goodies, it’s easy to see why Sugar Bakeshop will be one of the lucky few to weather this pandemic.