Restaurant reactions

Text by SOFIA ANTEBI,

MICHELLE KIM

and JASMINE VENET

HOW LOCAL BUSINESSES ARE STAYING AFLOAT C OLORFUL, EMPTY storeVerde interviewed three Palo Alto in-place order, according to Co-Founder fronts and a silent atmosphere restaurants to gain insight into how busiJean Paul Coupal. Half of their locations make downtown Palo Alto nesses are coping with the unique impacts are closed, and the chain cafe has transimore reminiscent of a ghost resulting from COVID-19. tioned to a reduced schedule with minimal town than the bustling street it once staff. was; the onset of the coronavirus Jing-Jing To increase revenue, they opened pandemic has put countless local Jing-Jing Szechwan & Hunan GourCoupa Grocery, making essential items businesses in danger of permamet, a Chinese restaurant operating in available for curbside pickup. Orders rapnent closure. downtown Palo Alto since 1986, is currentidly poured in, and their selection quickly

Bay Area restaurants ly facing difficulties caused by the abrupt expanded to over 200 items. are using a variety of decline in business during California’s shelBy selling items already in stock, Coumethods to adapt, ter-in-place order. pa Cafe can support employees as well as such as offering The family restaurant’s manager, Betty the restaurant supply chain, which has takeout and deTsai, opened a GoFundMe page on April been shaken in current circumstances. livery or set13 and has since raised a total of $5,000. “They’re sitting there with all these ting up GoThese donations go towards paying emproducts and they’re ready to do anything

FundMe ployees and maintaining the restaurant for business, but they can’t sell it and meanpages. while in-person dining remains prohibited while you have like a line outside the door in California. at Whole Foods,” Coupal says.

Tsai also organized a fundraiser called the Love and Support Package, in which Dohatsuten customers can choose to donate meals — Dohatsuten Ramen and Tapas, a Japprovided by Jing-Jing — to local medical anese restaurant located on San Antonio workers. Road, has managed to adapt to the new en

“My family has four generations of vironment because of the support of their doctors, and I know the stress that [medcustomers. ical professionals] deal with daily,” According to owner Seiko Alba, when

Ethan Huang, Tsai’s son and Henthe shelter-in-place order was instated, ry M. Gunn High School stusales decreased to a low of 25%. dent, says. After learning about these low num

In addition to the bers, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg fundraiser, Jing-Jing reand his wife Priscilla Chan, two regulars mains open for takeat Dohatsuten, decided to reach out to the out and delivery to restaurant. local residents. “[Zuckerberg] said he would like to see if there is a way we could work together Coupa Cafe to both support my business and help our

Amidst the global community through this difficult time,” pandemic, Coupa Cafe Alba says. turned to selling items Zuckerberg and Chan provided Dosuch as groceries, gloves hatsuten with the funding to start a lunch and toilet paper. donation program, which provides free

Like other restaumeals to healthcare workers and people in rants, Coushelters all around the community. pa Cafe’s “Since then almost every day we’ve r e v e n u e been delivering meals to health care workfell by ers and shelters,” Alba says. “Because of the

Art by Lauren Yan 90% after the shelterfunds, I am able to bring most of my kitchen staff back to prepare donated meals.” v