Behind every restaurant is the story of a farmer with a family. Behind every dish, there is the story of the fisherman who doesn’t know what the future holds.

Behind every restaurant, there is an amazing story about the people who make up America.

Independent restaurants feed our souls, nourish our communities, and deliver fellowship.
Now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s time to feed the restaurants.

The Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) is a nationwide trade group of, as you’d expect, independent restaurant owners and chefs. As the threat of the coronavirus pandemic loomed large over the restaurant industry, the grassroots group formed to lobby local, state, and federal governments for relief specifically for independently owned restaurants. So far, the IRC has requested that the U.S. Congress allocate $120 billion in a stabilization fund for independent restaurants.

As innovative as restauranteurs are in business, it’s no surprise they’ve turned to innovative ways of connecting with each other for a common cause: their industry. As they are able, members of the group come together through virtual town hall meetings to brainstorm ideas and discuss progress made. On their April 29 meeting, restaurant owners and chefs from across the country, including Houston and neighboring cities like New Orleans, provided their takes on why supporting independent restaurants is so vital to our communities.

And the statistics they shared were staggering.

Approximately 60% of the jobs lost to the March shut-downs came from the food and beverage industry alone. Only 20% of independent restaurant owners in affected cities are confident that they will be able to resume business when restrictions are eventually lifted. What if the restrictions last only four months? Still only 30% expect to survive.

Put into terms that everyone can relate to, that’s as many as four out of every five of your favorite independent restaurants closing their doors for good. For the IRC, that’s not good enough, especially when you consider how important independent restaurants are to the overall economy.

Independent restaurants put $1 trillion a year into the nation’s economy. As many as 50 million Americans are employed directly by independent restaurants – or indirectly as suppliers, such as farmers, fishers, beekeepers, and other providers. Independent restaurants are also the number one employer of workers in at-risk or financially insecure groups, including immigrants, single mothers, first-time job seekers, and people re-entering society from incarceration. With as many as 8 million restaurant workers out of work, these times are particularly hard.

The group also had a lot to say about resources currently being offered.

The meeting attendees agreed that while the federal Paycheck Protection Program is a help, it won’t provide what the industry needs for the medium term, with the expectation that it will take 12 to 18 months to recover. And even the $120 billion they’ve requested in federal assistance is only 12% of what their industry contributes to the economy.

The group mused: how can restaurants survive by operating at 25% of their capacity?

Nina Compton is the chef and owner of Bywater and Compère Lapin in New Orleans. “Food is a huge part of our culture,” she says. “This is the fabric of New Orleans. There are restaurants that are over 100 years old. We need to preserve this. I can go down this dark road by myself and scream for help, or I can go down the road with 50,000 people. That’s what this restaurant community is doing – banding together to make our voices heard.”

A rumble of support among the group follows.

And the help requested is particularly important because of the business models – and resulting profit margins – most independent restaurants operate under. “Out of every dollar we take in,” says Naomi Pomeroy, of Beast and Ex Patriot in Oregon, “we put 90 cents back into our restaurant… suppliers, vendors, employees, overhead. That means only 10% – at the absolute most – is kept as profit.”

But the challenges in even opening back up during social distancing restrictions are virtually paralyzing. According Nina, “There is a lot of work that restaurants have to do to open back up. We have to reimagine our concepts, retrain our staff, pay for health care, pay for insurance, pay for liquor licenses.”

“Yes,” Naomi agrees. “My restaurant has 26 seats total. Two communal tables in a tiny space. So, I have to completely rethink how I can open back up.”

As daunting as the challenge is, the group’s purpose is clear and their resolve is unwavering.

“We are fighting not for our restaurants, but the people who are the DNA of our restaurants,” says José Andrés, renowned chef and founder of the World Central Kitchen. “Behind every restaurant is the story of a farmer with a family. Behind every dish, there is the story of the fisherman who doesn’t know what the future holds. Behind every restaurant, there is an amazing story about the people who make up America. So, for us, it’s clear: if you need to take care of people after a hurricane, you send nurses and doctors. If you need to rebuild after an earthquake, you send in construction workers. If you need to rebuild the economy after a global pandemic? You turn to local restaurants.”

Andrew Zimmern, celebrity chef and owner of Lucky Cricket in Missouri, agrees – and takes the story further. “No one got into this industry to get rich. We got into it because when we were young, we saw the magic of what happened when people got together to enjoy good food. Community is VITAL. We need to get back on our feet so that we can help America get back to it again.”

At the end of the discussion, the group is encouraged by each other. Sam Kress, chef and former Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy for President Barack Obama, concludes, “The restaurant community is extremely creative. We will come up with solutions to deal with this – but we need the support and funding to do it.”

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW:

Send your elected officials a letter of support.

The IRC encourages patrons to show their support for independent restaurants by following the group on social media and sharing their story. Houston also can rally behind small businesses by visiting saverestaurants.com, where everyone can find information on how to contact elected officials in support of the group. “Elected officials read these letters,” says Andrew. “If they get enough of them, they have to react and respond.”

Be patient as restaurants figure out this next phase.

They also ask that patrons be patient and understanding with restaurants as they figure out what they are doing in this new world and likely have to increase prices to cover fixed costs.

Be a voice for good.

“We need to activate everyone here to realize that you have a voice, and you need to use it. Independent restaurants are the backbone of the community,” Naomi reminds us. “There is a lot of passion out there in the world for all of us.”