‘Job security? Not even on the docket.’
I’m a sommelier and bar manager at a fine-dining restaurant in Hawaii and part of a management team driving the restaurant’s adaptation. I now spend very little time tableside and more time getting promotions like wine discounts onto Instagram. Like so many others in this state, we lost a major source of revenue when travel shut down. We reopened Aug. 6 at 50 percent capacity, which so far has yielded about 25 percent of pre-Covid revenue. The Paycheck Protection Program money makes this sustainable for one more month. And even if a new round of P.P.P. doesn’t come through, we’ve decided to forge ahead.
In the unknowably distant future, the return of tourism to Hawaii is dependent on an effective vaccine, economic security, cultural attitudes and politics. In the meantime, you can get a hell of a great deal on a bottle of wine. Job security? Not even on the docket. — James L. Lunchick, 61, Waikoloa, Hawaii
The restaurant where I work is inside a theme park. It was closed for four months because they couldn’t reopen until the park did. We are now operating four days a week at 50 percent capacity but our income is down 60 percent compared to before Covid because we depend on tips. My husband and I both work there, so our household income is tight. Luckily we have a union and there are policies in place that have helped secure our jobs. However the company is suffering. Financially, it’s a big gamble. — Paola Gonzalez, 33, Davenport, Fla.
‘I’m so grateful to have the owners that we do’
I was a lead server at an almost 70-year-old fine-dining restaurant in Seattle with views of Lake Union. Guests dressed to the nines, and we served beautifully plated food and an award-winning wine list. In March we shut all that down and launched three new concepts in three days: drive-through burgers, a bagel shed and family meal delivery. When the weather got warmer, we opened a casual crab shack in the parking lot. Customers now come in flip-flops, and my goal is to deliver safe service by giving people as much space as possible.
At this point, we’ve closed the crab shack because of wildfire smoke and fall weather. Almost the entire staff has been laid off with eyes toward being brought back before the holidays. I’m immensely proud of our entire team for pushing forward through all of this, and I’m so grateful to have the owners that we do. They could have laid us all off six months ago. They chose to stay open and fight. — Michael Campbell, 28, Seattle
I was working at two restaurants in N.Y.C. Both shut down on the same day in March. It was terrifying! I made a quick decision to file for unemployment that day, and it was a wise move. We’ve been taking care of each other and staying close since the shutdowns. The restaurants have offered family meals to any of us in need, and there are constant GoFundMes for staff and our regular guests have been so generous. Associations have sponsored grants, and spirit companies have given money to applicants. Just so much love.
Being locked down was the right thing to do, but it is an extrovert’s nightmare. I am ready to go back to work, precautions and all! — Monica Elliot, 49, New York, N.Y.