Page 4 > August 26 — September 22, 2021 > WYANDOTTE WARRIOR
Restaurants fighting battles at every level When you look around these days things appear to be slipping back into place. Back into a comfortable rhythm that we are used to. Kids are getting ready to go back to school, the Detroit Tigers are playing before large crowds again, live concerts are back and restaurants are offering indoor dining. Things seem, well, normal. Jeremy Syrocki, owner of Truago in Trenton, Major Biddle in Wyandotte and Lloyds on Grosse Ile has some information for all of us: Things are not normal. When the pandemic first began, restaurants and other hospitality businesses were forced to close their doors when the first series of shutdowns was ordered. These businesses did their best to get by on a limited amount of carryout orders. Restaurants then were allowed to slowly open, first at 25 percent capacity, then 50 and finally where we are today. When the reopening occurred Syrocki and other restaurant owners found that many of their former employees, desperate for money during the shutdown, had left the industry. Help of all kinds, but especially kitchen help, became hard to find. It still is. And that drove up wages, which increased the cost of running the business. The employee crisis is still ongoing, but over the course of the past few months, these businesses have been hit with another blow - huge price increases on commodities, everything from chicken, to beef, to shrimp and crab. Syrocki said his restaurants have pretty well held the line on prices during the labor crisis, but he said the increase in the cost of food and other items is forcing his establishments to bump up is prices and he hopes his customers will understand According to Syrocki, the cost of chicken wings and chicken breasts has doubled, crab is up 50 percent and beef, 40 percent. And that’s when you can find these items. Syrocki’s usual supplier for crab has been unable to get it, so Syrocki has had to seek out other suppliers. “A lot of stuff is imported and we just can’t get
it,” Syrocki said. “It’s stuck out at sea or in port.” And, it’s not just food. Because of the increased number of restaurants offering carryouts, foam containers are becoming hard to come by. The same is true for plastic drink stirrers and paper napkins. Beer has even been hit,
Because of a glass shortage, Bud Light and Miller Lite in bottles are becoming scarce. All of this means one thing - higher prices - and Syrocki wants customers to know that when they see those prices, restaurant owners are just doing it just to survive. “We don’t like raising prices,” he said. “We’ve been about breaking even since around April, but with these huge price increases we have to raise our prices. We want the consumer to know we are not trying to gouge anybody. We need to do this to stay alive.” The restaurateur also wants people to know that
if his costs go down, his prices will, too. Syrocki said he prints new menus each week and if and when prices start to dip, those changes will be reflected quickly. Syrocki said he thinks people will understand, especially his regulars who come into his restaurants three and four times a week. “Our employees work hard. Our staff is out there fighting everyday, battling against staffing shortages,” Syrocki said. “Some people get upset with the slower service, but most are understanding. I’d say for every unhappy customer there are about 10 who understand and tip well or offer an encouraging word.” The staff at Truago, Major Biddle and Lloyd’s, like employees at all restaurants these days, are working under tremendous strain because of the staffing crisis, so the understanding smile or a kind word from customers really helps. “People have no idea how much a little note on the bill - a little “good job” - means to a member of the waitstaff. Everytime they get one they bring it right back and show me, every time. It’s extra motivation for all of us.” Syrocki said the employees at his restaurants feel like family and the regular customers feel like part of that family, too. “We have a huge, fantastic customer base,” he said. “They have supported us all the years we have been here and especially through this whole COVID thing. They’ve mostly been super patient with us and they are happy we are open. They are supporting the lives of well over 100 people at the three restaurants, and we really appreciate that.” Syrocki said some restaurants have been forced to stay open shorter hours or remain closed on certain days because of a lack of employees. It’s something that he says he wants to avoid at all costs. “I want to stay as consistent as we can,” he said. “We want our customers to know that when they want to come and eat, we will be here and we will be open.” No, things are not yet normal, but Jeremey Syrocki and his restaurants are trying their best to make it feel that way.
