This is a contributed article from Bobby Stuckey, a Master Sommelier and owner of Frasca Hospitality Group.
My name is Bobby Stuckey, and I’ve spent nearly my entire career working with small, independent restaurants. I opened my first restaurant almost 16 years ago, Frasca Food and Wine, in Boulder, Colorado. I also co-own Pizzeria Locale, along with Tavernetta and Sunday Vinyl in Denver.
More than a month ago, the Colorado governor asked to close our dining rooms. In the face of COVID-19, this was absolutely the right call. But there was no backup plan for the closure.
In one day, we laid off all 222 staff members, closed our doors, and cleaned out our walk-ins. It was one of the hardest days of my career. And I know I am not alone in this sentiment.
One month ago, I did not grasp the scope of it. I did not know that I was a part of an industry that provided 11 million jobs, making us the largest private sector job creator in America (only challenged in size by the Federal government and military combined). I did not realize that the restaurant industry contributes $1 trillion to the economy each year and up to 4% of the GDP.
What I learned very quickly was that our industry did not have a collective voice. A coalition of chefs, operators, and thought leaders worked very quickly to change that.
With unbelievable speed, we were able to form the Independent Restaurant Coalition to do our best to unite the millions of people across the country directly employed by restaurants and the hundreds of millions more indirectly employed along the food supply and delivery chains.
The message to our political leaders is simple. Independent restaurants are a keystone species in the ecosystem of the American economy. If independent restaurants disappear, the entire ecosystem will collapse.
We are resilient, but we are not immune to this crisis, and our fragility has been greatly exposed. Industry average profit margin from 2019 was 5% — so slim that the greatest executive minds in America would shudder to think of operating like we do.
Restaurateurs and small business owners are some of the toughest people I know. We’re the first to give and the last to receive. Unfortunately, it’s that same spirit of independence that has led us to this moment.
Because we haven’t spent years lobbying in Washington, D.C., the many conversations I’ve had with our country’s legislators in the past month have been focused on teaching them Restaurant Business 101. I will say – both sides of the aisle have been incredible listeners when you can get in front of them. I realized if I myself didn't understand the power of my own industry until just a month ago, how could our political leaders?
What I have learned is that there is strength in numbers, but only with a unified voice. Without a collective chorus to raise, it’s a lot of noise. Everything the Independent Restaurant Coalition has been doing has been calculated to connect restaurants across the country to one another. We have specific directives on what to post on our social feeds, what messaging to send to our political leaders and guests, and when to communicate. It’s been an incredible force.
It’s important for all small businesses to look at themselves and avoid the same landmine that restaurants are now confronting. Independent restaurants became the largest private sector employer, only to realize that we had literally no seat at the table when it came to policy decision making. Meanwhile, the airlines industry, which employs just 750,000 people, received an industry specific aid package to the tune of $25 billion. This is not a knock on the airlines industry. They’ve just had a collective voice much longer than we have.
The road ahead is difficult, but not impossible to forge. From restaurateurs to restaurant lovers, I encourage you to get engaged. Visit www.saverestaurants.com and learn what you can do to help. I didn’t help found the IRC to save Frasca. We founded it to save our industry.
To my fellow small business owners: What I have learned critically in the past few weeks is the importance of connecting with others in your industry. No longer can we be too busy to link up. Our connected group of restaurateurs has been the lifeline in our quest for federal aid in this time, and that bond will never be broken.
The Independent Restaurant Coalition was created by an independent group of chefs including the collaborators below and organizations including Food Policy Action and the James Beard Foundation. Anyone can join and everyone has a voice. We support all organizations working to support our restaurant community. Participants include: Tyler Akin, Akira Akuto, Kimberly Alter, José Andrés, Kristel Arabian, Greg Baxtrom, Rick Bayless, Sue Bette, Neal Bodenheimer, Kevin Boehm, Sean Brock, Andrew Carmellini, Ashley Christensen, Jeanie Chunn, Amanda Cohen, Tom Colicchio, Nina Compton, Sean Feeney, Kevin Fink, Mark Frier, Caroline Glover, Kaitlyn Goalen, Suzanne Goin, Kate Greenberg, Will Guidara, Jason Hammel, Josh Harris, Mason Hereford, Brian Jacobs, Brandon Jew, Sam Kass, Max Katzenberg, Thomas Keller, Joan Kim, Nick Kokonas, Mike Lata, Katie Lazor, Donnie Madia, Camilla Marcus, Neal McCarthy, Tory Miller, Ivy Mix, Elliot Nelson, Kwame Onwuachi, Steve Palmer, Erika Polmar, Naomi Pomeroy, Sarah Robbins, Harry Root, Andrew Rutledge, Greg Ryan, Marcus Samuelsson, Adam Saper, Alex Saper, Steven Satterfield, John Schumacher, Michael Shemtov, Nancy Silverton, Tara Smith, Francheska Songheng, Robert St. John, Frank Stitt, John Stubbs, Bobby Stuckey, Caroline Styne, Lindsay Tusk, Jill Tyler, Gia Vecchio, Nick Wasicek, Ari Weinzweig, Ellen Yin, Kimberly Zerkel, Andrew Zimmern + hundreds of other chefs and restaurateurs around the country.
Read additional resources from other industry experts, like The 3 Vital Ingredients for a Restaurant Pivot to a New Model. For more resources to help your business during coronavirus, visit our Small Business Guide for Coronavirus Relief.
