Name: Wine Me Dine Me: Even 100% capacity still a financial hurdle for local restaurants
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Wine Me Dine Me: Even 100% capacity still a financial hurdle for local restaurants

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Rachel ForrestView CommentsLast week, Evan Hennessey, chef and owner of Stages at One Washington in Dover, posted on his Facebook page about what 100% and 50% capacity means for restaurants under current state guidelines, especially for restaurants like his. It struck a chord with many of his followers, diners and restaurateurs.Seating capacity is limited to 50% in Rockingham, Hillsborough, Strafford and Merrimack counties and 100% in the rest of the state, but with 6 feet social distancing rules.Hennessey stated: “I think that customers and restaurants alike need to understand the reality of ‘100% capacity,’ if you don't already, (and) whenever it happens in your area.The 6-foot social distance guidelines supersedes all capacity allowances. 100% doesn't actually mean 100%, not even close. Spacing chair backs 6 feet apart (minimally) within your seating plan allows for at most 50% capacity; in most cases, less.For customers, you won't be given any more or less room than you have right now. You won't be sitting at a bustling bar scene. You won't be making friends with your neighboring table guests, or ’passing the ketchup.’ You won't be able to hang out all night with the friends you haven't seen in a year, because the restaurant needs that table back, or has another reservation in an hour. It will be the same service given by a masked employee to a (likely) unmasked table of guests.For restaurants, it means maintaining a skeleton crew just big enough to cook and serve one-third of the guests your business model was set up for, but still paying full rent, taxes, utilities, etc. It means the unemployment rate goes up, again, because you can't hire most of your staff back, and neither can anyone else. It means winter is coming, and your summer stock pile that never occurred might not get you through the January doldrums. It means really thinking about the future, and how to survive it.”Hennessey, a James Beard Award semi-finalist and top prize winner on “Chopped,” has been a part of the Seacoast restaurant community for decades. He opened Stages in 2012 with a pre-fixe tasting menu dining model served at an intimate kitchen counter that showcases his innovative approach and seasonal ingredients. He does (or did) offer a dining room experience where guests can observe and interact with the chef and team.COVID-19 changed that and the 50% indoor capacity won’t work for Hennessey’s model, nor will 100% with the guidelines. For now, he is offering a takeout menu that changes each week, more family meal than plated modernist cuisine. It’s become popular and fans look forward to each week’s menu. That doesn’t stop people from wanting things the way they were, Hennessey noted in his statement.“In the media, you see people excited to get back to their favorite restaurants. At Stages, we receive daily emails and reservation requests for our kitchen tasting menu, all of which we are forced to turn down. We have been lucky enough that our takeout concept has kept us going. It's not ‘Yeah 100%, you must be excited, everything is back to normal finally.’ The s*&amp;t is officially about to hit the fan, and the cavalry is not coming. I would love to be wrong on this, believe me.”Many responded to his statement, some pointing out the weather soon will limit what restaurants can do. Some industry members noted customers don’t realize how narrow margins are even when they can open at full capacity, nor that chefs and their teams are risking their lives for a fraction of the income.“I’m glad people listened,” Hennessey said in a follow-up chat. “It’s a hard truth, but one that needs to be talked about. For many, their focus is on the wrong thing, or in the wrong direction. We’re headed for the deepest water, and a lot are in denial, or expecting help from someone else. I think many seem to feel that the capacity marks will save them, at least to start, and not thinking about the fact that the 6-foot rule, ’rules,’ compounded by the sooner than later removal of outdoor dining due to weather. I’m all for saving the planet and community, but this is very much a case of ‘Put your oxygen mask on first.’”Hennessey feels the 6-foot rule is going to last longer than most think.“Americans on the whole are playing the teenager role of ‘It can’t get me, I’m invincible,’ and raises the chance of numbers spiking, places and areas shutting down, and an overall reboot of what we just went through. I think people need to look at their own business and finances, not just for now, but with the eye of a possible restructure of the whole plan in order to exist, and hopefully thrive. Instead of doing what everyone else is doing, it’s gotta be every business for itself. The hard truth, again, is not every restaurant is set up to do this, whether it’s spatially speaking, or business savvy.”Hennessey said he and the team shut down Stages to figure out what made sense, deciding “once the takeout market proves itself that we would jump in. We do have plans for our future, but we’re also set up to be in takeout mode for a while. With the takeout going the way it is, we are touching the break-even point, which is pretty good. But that’s also with minimizing as much of our overhead as possible.“I wasn’t exaggerating when I said (there are) people asking for reservations. They want them tonight. They assume that because of the 50% thing that everyone is open now. ... The public is trying to put things back where they were, when restaurants either can’t, or aren’t doing that. People are trying to make it all what it was, versus what it could be. It can be a good thing if we allow it to happen safely.”More restaurant newsKeep an eye out for news about outdoor seating for Evan Mallett’s Black Trumpet in Portsmouth. Denise Wheeler wrote about the difficulties he’s had in getting seating outdoors due to his tricky location, but the task force set up to look at these issues is working on a solution. The Black Trumpet will be an anchor restaurant when Pop Up Portsmouth opens at the Bridge Street lot.Otis Restaurant in Exeter reopened for indoor dining following a brisk take-out model with a more comfort food menu. Now, they go back to a menu more like their former one with all that wonderful chef Lee Frank style but it’s their Sleeper 5 menu, a five-course prix fixe menu with two choices in each for just $50. Protocols include reservation only, making dietary requests when reserving, and masks required when entering and exiting. The staff sanitizes surfaces, wears masks and tables were removed to accommodate social distancing. Visit .Neil and Cindy May Gibb (100 Club, Tailgate Tavern) opened Gibb’s Garage Bar &amp; Grille in the former Demeter’s space at 3612 Lafayette Road in Portsmouth. The restaurant has a car and motorcycle theme and customers are encouraged to bring their “sweet ride.” Dine in a space set up for social distancing or order online. The menu includes BYO options for mac ‘n’ cheese, poutine, nachos as well as burgers, pizzas and more. There’s a full bar, too, with adult milkshakes and more.The Corner Pub reopened in Kittery Foreside. The pub closed last year and was sold to Michael Landgarten, Andrew Edgar and Glen Jodoin. They have outdoor dining and a menu that includes beer cheese with pretzel nibs, candied bacon, frito pie, a line-up of hot dogs, smash burger and more.Fire &amp; Spice Bistro in Newfields (the former Ship to Shore space) is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. Find menus on their Facebook page with dishes like crispy chicken and blue corn waffles, wild mushroom risotto and shrimp and flat corn grits.Check out Ristorante Massimo’s new outdoor dining space, the Terrace at Massimo’s. It’s serving its full menu from 4:30 p.m. on. It also has indoor dining, dining in its upstairs lounge and curbside cuisine for take-home. Enjoying chef Jethro Loichle’s delicious food and Massimo’s hospitality is something I miss!Rachel Forrest is a former restaurant owner, reviewer and Seacoast resident, who now lives in Austin, Texas and Belize. She can be reached at Rachel.forrest@localmediagroupinc.com.View Comments

Rachel ForrestView CommentsLast week, Evan Hennessey, chef and owner of Stages at One Washington in Dover, posted on his Facebook page about what 100% and 50% capacity means for restaurants under current state guidelines, especially for restaurants like his. It struck a chord with many of his followers, diners and restaurateurs.Seating capacity is limited to 50% in Rockingham, Hillsborough, Strafford and Merrimack counties and 100% in the rest of the state, but with 6 feet social distancing rules.Hennessey stated: “I think that customers and restaurants alike need to understand the reality...

Wine Me Dine Me: Even 100% capacity still a financial hurdle for local restaurants

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