Ever have this feeling? The need to go off to a new place to get one’s mind off of the pressures from the week? I’m sure you have and it’s harder to do in these Covid-19 times. Even the simple task of travelling makes one think twice about safety and sanitation. Something we never worried about before March 2020.
During my last few weeks, working as a consultant to a NYC restaurant, I’ve been amazed by the resolve of restaurants and small businesses to survive. I live in a small town bordering Asbury Park, NJ but most of my consulting work occurs in the once great city of New York. It’s inspiring to see people (which is what a business is) adapt to rules and regulations that are ever-changing. We have gone from no business to creating street dining rooms on the streets and the people who work these restaurants do it with all of the pressure that has been a central part of these Covid Times.
Like many great leaders in the restaurant and hospitality business have said, the passion of a great restaurant is distilled into that theatre metaphor: The Show must go on!
Behind the scenes we work to make our dining rooms beautiful, clean and safe. We work with our teams to learn steps of service and the importance of tying the service techniques to warm hospitality that embraces and coddles each guest. Behind the curtain, we work on recipes and fine tune our ingredients to create the perfect plate for each guest.
But today’s new stage is much different. While we still smile and welcome each guest with warmth, our audience is much smaller and the stage is now set on the street. No longer is our dining room a set place with beautiful art, flowers and ambience. Now, our stage is smaller and either on a street or courtyard or a little bit of both. The allowance of 25% indoor dining has re-opened some of our indoor space but many guests are too fearful of the inside. So we work hard to create a sense of normalcy on the streets and sidewalks and work even harder to ensure our guests feel a sense of safety inside. This is what restaurant people do. We work to make it work.
But behind the front stage, we are also working to make the numbers work. We look at revenue that is 25% to 50% of our year over year totals. We are working tirelessly to control costs in a world of added costs from planter boxes to a designated bathroom attendant. Our margin of error is even smaller now and with the coming of winter, our number of seats may shrink.
It’s an incredible struggle that makes you want to scream. But you cannot. Instead, where we once had answers that had certainty, our certainty is challenged each day. And this is why on Saturday the urge was to get out of dodge! To go to a place to clear the mind.
Off to Lambertville NJ and New Hope Pennsylvania we went. A little tourist therapy on a beautiful fall day. Located only 60 minutes from Asbury Park, NJ or 90 minutes from New York City, the twin towns of Lambertville and New Hope offer an amazing day trip escape to a cultural, historical and gastronomic destination.
Before departing, we of course checked out the Covid Regulations for Pennsylvania and the rules were similar to New York and New Jersey so it was an easy assimilation to our new Normal. As New York City is a ghost town due to the Covid rules, I thought that this area would be quiet but still give us a break from the world we live in.
Was I wrong. I thought I had been transported to Disney World. The streets were packed full of families, children, men and woman enjoying the beautiful Saturday Fall day. A perfect day really. We were first met with an old classic car parade after visiting a local Farmer Market, Old Homestead Farm in Lambertville.
We then started to explore the streets. Everyone was wearing masks. Some not perfectly, but everyone was following the rules to the best of their abilities. Every restaurant, store and gallery entered were sanitizer ready and most important, welcoming. Some galleries and stores had limits on the number of guests allowed, but the store owners and workers wanted us there and welcomed everyone with big smiles. It felt like old times, except for the masks!
Most important, it felt alive. We watched George Washington rally the people, met Ben Franklin and were amazed at the efforts put in to create a Halloween Paradise for those who love Halloween.
This feeling of ‘life’ is something I’ve felt at the Jersey Shore most of the summer. While New Jersey has some serious lockdown rules, the towns were encouraging people to enjoy the shore and enjoy life. This is something that I’ve yet to feel in New York City.
But going to New Hope made me feel that New York will come back at some point. It needs to come back to life and we need the government to begin to encourage life to come back to NYC versus the constant sense of doom, gloom and we are going to shut you down again. If you can have beautiful, masked crowds exploring the streets of Lambertville and New Hope, you can certainly have people coming back to the great city of New York. There is no reason that life is still stuck in New York as the rest of the world enjoys life.
What I love, when I travel is food. But I also love exploring the galleries, shops, provision and farmer markets and New Hope and Lambertville are filled with the all of the above
Built on the Delaware River, the history of these two small cities dates back to the revolutionary times. The buildings are art in and of themselves. The streets are lined with Art Galleries and Antique shops. In between are coffee shops, provisions and restaurants. There is truly something for everyone.
One of the most fun things to watch, of course, are the people themselves. Laughing, smiling, walking hand in hand. The vibrancy of life gives me hope that we will get through Covid. But it also underscores the earnestness we all have as business people. We adapt quickly to situations and challenges. As business people we work to find the way to YES, even in the worst of times.
We ate at a few spots. Beer and Fries at an Irish Pub, dinner at the Lambertville Station and when we returned home, some local goat cheese bought at Savour with some crispy baquette.
Our server at Lambertville Station was quite amazing. He was an old school server you cherish as a manager or owner. Always in motion. Always pouring wine. Always positive. He was delightful to speak with about life in the time of Covid. He was, like so many of us in our business, working as hard as he can to make it work. He said people want to eat and while they were only at 25% capacity indoors and full outdoor terrace seating, his team had worked hard to maximize the space. Something we are all doing. His positivity was a delightful and inspiring end to our beautiful day trip.
With only a few more weeks of Fall on the calendar, do yourself a favor. Get out of Dodge and do a great weekend or day trip to these wonderful towns on the river! It will refresh your mind, body and soul and you may make some new friends while there!
