Our Restaurant Community: Resilience in the Face of a Pandemic

Original article: Back of the House: Driftless Cafe by Vanessa Herald, Summer 2016

Then

The gorgeous quail egg raviolo with ricotta, pickled shallot and quail jus on this issue’s cover was part of our Back of the House photo essay featuring Chef Luke Zahm and his team at Driftless Café. Not only was the food photogenic, but Driftless Café had a beautiful story of blending simplicity and innovation, of intertwining relationships and community spirit. Zahm has deep roots in the Driftless region, and his big heart draws people in. He and his team are a prime example of how the restaurant community in our region collaborates to entertain, teach and celebrate our abundance of local foods.

Now

Without a doubt, COVID-19 has upended our restaurant community. Businesses closed, workers were laid off, and government aid ran out of funding within weeks. Many establishments immediately shifted their business models to contactless options in order to remain open. For others, even the most creative adjustments couldn’t create an economically viable path forward. Restaurants are a key link in our local food economy, so it’s been heartbreaking to watch these pillars of our communities struggle as they have this year. We grieve the loss of restaurants that are closed indefinitely, the lost experience of collective dining, and especially the human impact on chefs and restaurant workers. No matter what happens, we stand with them and will support the recovery in whatever way we can.

Future

There’s a national conversation happening in the media about the future of restaurants and dining culture. Predictions abound, but we went back to Chef Luke Zahm to see what his thoughts were on the future of his industry post-COVID-19.

“Our industry doesn’t have a safety net,” Zahm says. There are labor shortages, mental health and addiction issues, lack of health insurance, and inequities in the entire system. Many restaurant owners don’t have access to unemployment compensation like their staff do, making them even more vulnerable during this time. “COVID is giving a really hard look at what’s happening in the restaurant industry for once. I think there’s a lot of opportunity to create more equity through this.”

Looking forward, Zahm says that only between 15 and 40 percent of restaurants are expected to survive, which means a huge number of people trained in the culture of hospitality will be looking for work this year—and perhaps a positive evolution in dining culture will come from new entrepreneurs entering the scene. “Hospitality is art,” Zahm says “It’s about making people feel seen, feel valued, feel loved, feel at home. This is the time when people who foster those experiences come into their own.”

Finally, in the midst of real and potential food shortages, Zahm says, “There’s so much security living in the Driftless region. We have farms, we have cooperatives, we have businesses that figure out how to connect, and educate, and create relationships with their foodshed. We’re struggling, sure, but we have the blueprint. This is the power of resilience.”

It’s still too soon to predict the full impact of the recent economic and cultural shifts, but we at Edible Madison have been moved by the creative, positive actions individuals and restaurants have taken to cultivate continued connection, from a distance. We call on our readers to make a point this summer to support your favorite restaurants regularly and generously, in whatever way you can. Get takeout, purchase gift cards, participate in “special event” curbside pick-up meals, buy meal kits, contribute to virtual tip jars. If you see a restaurant doing something especially neat, please share it with us at hello@ediblemadison.com; we’ll consider spreading the news to our social media followers. And remember to use your voice and your votes! Contact your legislators and urge them to support providing critical aid to small businesses.

Our restaurant scene may not emerge from the pandemic looking the same as it did before, but we have faith that it will bounce back—especially with strong support from our community of food lovers.