‘It’s over.’ NC bars, restaurants close to the public, leaving employees with uncertainty
In any other year, the workers at The Raleigh Times restaurant and bar might have been preparing for one of the busiest nights of the year in downtown Raleigh. But now on Tuesday afternoon, St. Patrick’s Day, they were preparing to close to the public at 5 p.m. — governor’s orders to slow the spread of COVID-19, which causes the coronavirus.
One worker hung a sheet of paper on a window next to the front door: a menu so people could place to-go orders. Near 5 o’clock, the time when nearby workers might be strolling in for happy hour, the bartenders called for last call. All over downtown, and beyond, members of the service industry entered into a new reality — one that for many might include uncertain paydays and financial stress.
“The people that I’ve talked to — it’s going to affect them (financially),” Brad Froeschle, a Raleigh Times bartender, said on Tuesday, speaking of his fellow bartenders and servers. “There’s a possibility of there being permanent damage from this situation.”
When North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday mandated that all restaurants and bars close to the public, he followed other state leaders in an attempt to slow the spread of disease. Restaurants can still accept orders for takeout and delivery. Greg Hatem, the founder of Empire Eats, of which Raleigh Times is a part, said he’d been preparing for weeks for the possibility of such a disruption.
Not long ago, Hatem sent a survey to his employees, asking them to put their names next to potential jobs they might be able to do in case regular restaurant business ceased. Bartenders and servers considered whether they could fill roles in carpentry, delivery or childcare, Hatem said during a phone interview.
“We just had them put their names down next to things they thought they could do,” he said.
At Hatem’s nine restaurants, that has eased some of the employees’ anxiety. Instead of waiting tables or working behind the bar, some, like Froeschle, will move into other temporary positions within Empire Eats.
“Some people, they need the extra income,” said Froeschle, who has been a bartender at The Raleigh Times for seven years. “So there’s going to be a full gamut of jobs. I’m willing to do whatever, you know? Something’s better than nothing.”
Keeping some restaurant employees busy
In a time of uncertainty for those in the service industry, Froeschle said he’d “heard some good stories, actually” from others who are in his shoes, working as bartenders or servers. Some restaurants, he said, had offered to feed their employees while regular business is disrupted.
“That’s amazing,” he said. “We get the same (at The Raleigh Times). Everything so far has been positive, as far as what action” restaurants are taking for employees.
Sam Soto, one of the restaurant managers, said that after it closed Tuesday it would be prepared for a deep cleaning. That, at least, would keep some employees busy for a while. But then there was also the concern about how long the shutdown might last, and how long places like The Raleigh Times and other restaurants might be forced to improvise.
“I know a lot of front of house staff is worried about that,” said Soto, 32, who has worked at The Raleigh Times since December. “We’re trying to keep them involved in some way. Whether it’s here or somewhere within the company. And we still need people to work, it just might not be as much as they are used to.
“So it’s everybody making adjustments right now.”
Some set up online ordering
During the final couple of hours the restaurant was open on Tuesday, Soto helped relay food from the kitchen to the few customers who’d come in for a late lunch. Around 4 p.m., the Times’ three bars became a little less empty — though none of them were close to full.
Some patrons, like Pat Lawson, had come from around the block, and Anchor Bar, where some had gathered for an afternoon St. Patrick’s Day party. Lawson, 52, said he and two friends had come out “to support the bars and restaurants” one last time before they closed for a while — at least to the public.
“I’ll survive it,” said Lawson, a real estate broker, “but I’m worried about all the (service industry) employees. I mean, there’s a lot of employees this thing is going to affect. It’s terrible.”
Not far away, a young couple sat at another one of the Times’ three bars. Garth Hockersmith, 38, and Chrissy Vorpagel, 33, were finishing a plate of nachos and a couple of beers.
In January, they’d opened a Cha House franchise, on Hillsborough Street, and like others in the service industry now they were forced to close. They’d spent Monday night, they said, setting up their online ordering, and now they hoped that’d be enough to sustain themselves and their business for the foreseeable future.
“It’s a lot, because we’re brand new,” Vorpagel said. “And so it’s very scary, to be honest. But we know what it’s like as a business, to suffer, and we also know that we can’t sit around and panic.
“So we went out.”
‘I know they’re stressed’
And there they sat on Tuesday, supporting another local business. They sat on chairs with green three-leaf clovers affixed to the back. The St. Patrick’s Day decorations, usually a symbol of celebration, contributed to a forlorn vibe as The Raleigh Times began to empty out.
Soon only the employees were left to clean. Some would be furloughed. Some would be back in other roles.
“It’s hard for all of us, psychologically, trying to understand where we are in the world,” Hatem said. “And then when you layer on top of that, whether you will even have a job when you come back to work, or how long it will be before you can.
“So I know they’re stressed. We’ve been trying to ease folks into this for a while.”
Years ago, The Raleigh Times was the first restaurant and bar to begin to revitalize downtown. After 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the streets were mostly quiet again — as quiet as they might have back then, before there was much development in the area. The people who were inside the Times walked out and found there was nowhere to go with everything closed.
“That’s it,” one said. “It’s over.”
Some restaurants still offering food
Downtown Raleigh Alliance is keeping a list of downtown Raleigh restaurants that are serving food through takeout, delivery or curbside service. Restaurant gift cards can also be purchased.
Find them here. http://bit.ly/2x7yHOI
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 8:51 PM.
