Coronavirus: The Tipping Point for Our Local Restaurants

Entrance of Koukla Bottle Shop

Over the past 3 months (!) of isolation, I’ve kept a pulse on my favourite restaurants and specialty food shops with dreadful anticipation. Having worked in the industry and once owned a food business myself, I can tell you that the traditional business model for an independent restaurant is not meant to withstand unexpected closures, especially one of this magnitude. With an average profit margin of only 3.6%, it’s not even a question of survival of the fittest when the fittest aren’t built to last. In an article published by Restaurants Canada in April, it was estimated that nearly 1 out of 10 restaurants had closed permanently, with another 18% expected to follow suit should conditions not improve within a month. Now, more than two months later, I'm afraid to even guess how many have actually closed for good. The idea of a future with nothing but global chains left standing is upsetting to say the least.

Our local restaurants have hosted some of our most cherished memories - birthdays, first dates, promotions, engagements, weddings, anniversaries … immortalized moments in time that they helped bring to life with a perfect bite and a singular experience. They’ve also been there to help us forget and move on - feeding our souls, drowning our sorrows, consoling us in times of heartbreak, disappointment, or a difficult day at work. They are vital to our communities and ever-present in the narrative of our lives.

And they deserve better.

Beyond these haunting thoughts of a doomsday scenario devoid of taste, imagination, and really just food made with care, there is still hope. Something is happening within the food service industry that perhaps should’ve happened sooner. Driven by the hunger to survive, restaurants and specialty food shops are adopting new and creative business practices that may provide additional sources of revenue post-pandemic. It might be too early to tell, but this moment is definitely serving as an important tipping point, making it clear that things cannot go back to the way they were before; the industry needs to evolve.

After the initial shock, it became evident that no one was going down without a fight. Those providing gift cards found ways to make them more accessible online or by phone, shipping them off for contactless delivery, or having them at the shop for safe keeping. Some started using delivery apps for the first time or experimented with pre-order pick-up concepts. Others converted their empty restaurants into community markets, selling produce, pantry items, and alcohol to move inventory while providing their neighbours with essentials.

It started with incremental adjustments with what was immediately available. And then, through weeks of testing, trial & error, and the failure of certain food delivery apps to provide adequate support, the efforts became bolder.

Direct Delivery

First order with Bandit Brewery

Within a day of lockdown, Bandit Brewery immediately began home deliveries. After two weeks of isolation, it was a welcome surprise to see co-owner Shehzad Hamza show up 6 feet from our doorstep with a case of much-treasured craft brews in-hand. At first, deliveries were limited to a handful of postal codes within Toronto, but they have since expanded their same-day service to include Mississauga, 7 days a week, free on orders above $50.

Craft breweries across the city, and even those outside of the GTA, adopted direct delivery noticeably fast. Meeting free delivery minimums is a no-brainer, so beer sampling soon became a way for us to escape and discover new things in a world where every day melds into the next mundane repetition of the same.

We’ve also been especially drawn to Revel Cider Co.’s selection of ephemeral concoctions. Reading the love letters written about each of their offspring makes it difficult not to order one of everything, and so we did. The cidery’s thoughtful and adventurous natural fermentation experiments are a revelation and this experience has us convinced that there is no other way to acquire them than by the caseful.

Some of the most surprising new players in direct delivery have been cheese shops. Cheese Magic offers free delivery for orders of $25 and over. Fortunately, their online ordering selection reflects the extensive and highly affordable stock available at their Kensington shop. Our first quarantine cheese board was a welcome respite from the stock piled freezer fare we had begrudgingly been eating through up to that moment. On the East side, Good Cheese’s ‘Cheese Night In’ boxes can be accompanied by a selection of wines, beers, ciders, or other specialty pantry items you can easily make an entire night out of enjoying.

Pop-Ups

Roselle’s incomparable Banana Cream Pie Éclair

After a few weeks pause, Roselle re-emerged with their wildly successful weekly pop-ups. Every Monday night, at 8:00pm on the dot, the online ordering menu for the following Saturday’s pick-up selection goes live on their website. Eager fans of Roselle’s heavenly desserts prepare for their virtual line-up much in the same way one does for a Beyoncé concert. Even with my alarm set, my browser open to their website, and my anxious fingers strategically placed over my laptop keys ready to refresh at the sound of the bell, I still somehow managed to miss the boat more than once - Roselle’s sell-out record is currently set at an impressive 2 minutes! They have made continuous improvements to their system week by week. And the madness is worth the potential disappointment; the incredible joy that emanates from just one bite of Banana Cream Pie Éclair is reward enough for any past failed attempt. Even a failed attempt draws a feeling of satisfaction - selling out just means they’ll be back another day.

As they do in ordinary times, pop-ups also offer a chance to experiment with new menus and new collaborations. Born amidst the pandemic, Kang Bang Furaidochikin is the brainchild of Jeff Kang (Canis, Après Wine Bar) and Edward Bang (Omai). From Wednesday to Saturday, operating out of Après Wine Bar, Korean-style fried chicken is on the menu alongside select natural wines, beer, and sake. The pair also recently started Sushi Notomai, another pop-up - this one operating out of Omai. Sushi Notomai, open Thursday to Saturday, offers a premium variety of choice morsels: rice bowls, makis, and sushi sets (including a $75 DIY Temaki set for 2).

Meal Kits and DIY

Speaking of DIY, through an order with Pai, we recently had the chance to assemble the best Som Tum (Thai Green Papaya Salad) we’ve had since our trip to Thailand, years ago. The salad ingredients were expertly packed and came with simple instructions. The kit - the only way to order the salad - was a perfect way to incorporate a playful and interactive experience into the meal, while preserving the highest possible quality by avoiding soggy peanuts and potential leakage. It also provided some education - Som Tum is a street food prepared by mortar & pestle, which the instructions encourage you to do if possible.

Enoteca Sociale Meal Kit (plus a pasta, meat and dessert not pictured).

Some restaurants are packaging multiple-course meals for pre-order and pick-up on select days, releasing menus weekly on social media. Enoteca Sociale's Set Meal includes focaccia and olives, a salad, pasta, a protein with vegetables, and dessert. With the arrival of summer, Tabule’s various locations have started adding Cottage and BBQ kits to their family meals, available for takeout and delivery.

Through their three distinct brands, Mamakas Food Group has reinforced their ability to cater to various needs through the same online ordering system, powered by newly developed platform, Ambassador. Under the Mamakas Taverna banner, you can pre-order family meals and BBQ boxes for 4 or 6 people. Bar Koukla Bottle Shoppe serves up bottled cocktails of 2-4 pours, spirits, and wines that can also be ordered individually, or as part of combination packs for pick-up. While Agora’s online menu was not up yet at the time of writing, their Queen Street West offerings are still available for takeout and delivery on UberEats.

Similar to Bar Koukla, the Mahjong Bar and Bar Mordecai team have crafted cocktail kits after their popular menu selections. These along with wines, beers, ciders, and snacks are available for pick-up, Wednesday through Monday. Additionally, meal kits can also be preordered, but these change frequently, so follow them on Instagram!

Uncle Mikey’s has a variety of at-home Korean meal options through their new takeout and delivery experience under the moniker DYLAN to-Go. The menu changes frequently and is a veritable “Choose Your Own Adventure” of ready-to-eat, Heat’n’Serve, Make Your Own dinner kits, pantry items, and low intervention wine. These are available through pre-order and direct delivery, from Thursday to Sunday.

Community Giving

Giving back is not a new thing in this industry. For many restaurants, community giving is part of their internal culture. I’ve always believed that feeding someone is among the highest expressions of love and kindness, so it’s only natural for me to imagine that anyone dedicating their lives to cooking must genuinely care about those they feed.

Full table at Famiglia Baldassarre, pre-pandemic.

Over the first few weeks of quarantine, I became particularly obsessed with Famiglia Baldassarre’s Instagram Stories. Leandro Baldassarre’s daily updates and candid behind-the-scenes look at the constant adjustments made to stay on top of ever-changing health and safety requirements provided reassurance in a time of chaos. With consistent calm, strength, and poise, Famiglia Baldassarre did everything to not only ensure a safe environment for their patrons, but provided help to their community through complementary care packages they encouraged patrons to help drop off to those in need.

Their efforts were amplified as part of the Marinara Boys - a group of Toronto restaurateurs and friends also made up of Sugo’s Conor Joerin, Bar Ape’s Nick Genova and James Carnevale, and Sovereign Cafe’s Rosario Salvi. In the face of plausible bankruptcy, the Marinara Boys started a GoFundMe page and chose to provide comfort and nourishment to hungry, exhausted front-line workers. While donations are currently suspended, they are committed to continuing their charitable efforts for as long as their restaurants remain closed and likely beyond.

This pandemic has brought out the best and the worst of us all; our true colours laid out for all to see in a time when the power of social media has made it possible to imprint them, exponentially and in perpetuity. How businesses have chosen to respond in this time of uncertainty and fear has given us reason to pause and evaluate whether we as patrons can support their values with our pocketbooks. As we brace ourselves for the inevitable aftermath of the pandemic, my hard-earned money is on those who chose to put their community first, rather than those who gouged the vulnerable by making bare necessities accessible only to the privileged few. 

You know who they are.

While the changes we’ve seen show signs of resilience in the food service community, there’s still a long way to go. As the city prepares to begin re-opening patios, a return to “normal” operations is still nowhere in sight. This period of transition will be a long one and our local restaurants and specialty shops need our help now more than ever.

Choosing local is vital to the fabric of our communities and we must prioritize local businesses at every opportunity. As they begin to open their doors again and continue to test the waters, they deserve our patience. If something’s not right, consider offering constructive feedback privately, rather than shame them publicly for their growing pains. And, most importantly, protect yourself and by extension their staff by exercising proper safety precautions - the pandemic isn’t over yet.

Rather than look at what’s happening around us with dread, I look to our local gems with hope that all the trials and errors, all the learning will lead to an evolution in food service. And what I hope to see most on the other side is a community that is stronger, healthier, and no longer at the mercy of intermediaries looking to profit where there is no profit to spare. 

Until then, I encourage you all to show some support and put your money where your mouth is.

Words by Kimberley Kwo. Photos by Kimberley Kwo and Nick Wong.