Takeout, delivery woes

DINING OUT | BRUCE NEWBURY

“PLEASE TIP FOR TAKEOUT.”

That plea from a high school senior who has worked in food service for two years at a neighborhood restaurant sums up the precarious nature of the restaurant business.

The Rhode Island restaurant community, made up primarily of independent business owner-operators is coming to grips with the unprecedented closing by government mandate – except for takeout and delivery – of the state’s eating and drinking places. The over 3,000 businesses, including coffee shops and fast-food eateries, have had to pivot quickly.

CURBSIDE SERVICE: Perella’s Ristorante chef-owner Lou Perella delivers a takeout order to customer

CJ Audet-Kelly.

The idea of takeout/delivery seems to be off to an uneven start. Following Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s directive, lists of places offering delivery and takeout sprouted up in numerous places online. However, the consumer response did not match the internet scramble.

One East Bay restaurateur decided the to-go numbers did not add up and closed his eatery after one day. In some cases, technology had to catch up with intention as a few business owners had to wait for computer software to be installed or upgraded to facilitate online payment.

Twin Oaks Inc. has gone to takeout only and is also offering food items such as meats for purchase. However, there is a bit of a learning curve. Consumers may not be as willing to tip for takeout as they would be if they were dining on premise. It may take a bit of education to get across the fact that cost factors for preparing a restaurant meal for takeout or delivery does not change that much. The cooking process and staff remains the same. Only the packaging is different. There are expeditors on the takeout or delivery line, reviewing orders for correctness. And they all depend on gratuities the same as if the order was being plated and served in the dining room.

Raimondo recently singled out the restaurant community and expressed her sympathy for the hardship the industry is enduring. She encouraged all “who are able” to order takeout.

The emotional upheaval staff and ownership are experiencing came through loud and clear in online instructions on restaurant websites. From CAV Inc., for example: “Your delivery and takeout orders, as well [as] gift certificate purchases, help to keep our staff working through this challenging time.”

At Perella’s Ristorante in Warren, chef-owner Lou Perella can only let his customers just inside his door. They may not linger in his dining room to admire the facelift it received courtesy of reality TV show “Restaurant: Impossible.” He is serving his customers with takeout only. His menu is limited to one-pound and halfpound pasta meals with garlic bread and a few daily specials.

Response has been slow, but Perella is hopeful it will catch on.

These are particularly frustrating days for the proprietors of the new Palmer River Grille, also in Warren. The Gorman family had planned to open their new restaurant at the site of the former Country Inn by mid- March. They are staying the course at their other two places – Sakonnet River Grille in Tiverton and Four Corners Grille in Tiverton. “St. Patrick’s

Day was actually pretty good at both places,” said proprietor Dave Gorman. “I think we got a bump.” Business slowed in the following days.

“We offer online ordering, as well as phone ordering and will offer carside delivery whenever possible. Our full menu will be available,” he said.

The Gorman family’s messaging online expressed concern for their patrons: “We are making every effort to provide safe service to you all, and ask that you make every effort to follow the social distancing guidelines mandated by the state as we are. We’ll make it through this together.”

An update on whether Grubhub Inc. was suspending its fees was cleared up but too late. Ellen Slattery, president of Gracie’s Ventures Inc., contacted PBN to say she had been contacted by the third-party delivery service and it informed her it would be suspending all fees charged to restaurants in the state. However, Slattery had to announce at the same time that Gracie’s sibling restaurant Ellie’s was closing for the moment, stating, “It hurts that we must halt our ability to give back to you; the true essence of what we love to do.”

Lists of restaurants offering takeout and delivery can be found at goprovidence.com. For Newport and the East Bay, discovernewport.org is maintaining a list of places open for takeout and delivery.

Bruce Newbury’s “Dining Out” radio talk show is heard Saturdays at 11 a.m. on 1540 AM WADK, on radio throughout New England, through various mobile applications and his podcast. Email Bruce at Bruce@ brucenewbury.com.