As D.C. remains in phase two of the reopening plan, Black-owned restaurants reflect on their past struggles as well as their hopes for the future.
Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the public health emergency order, which was supposed to end on March 31st, has been extended until May 20th. And with this extension, Bowser allowed for slight changes to the restrictions, especially those affecting restaurants. As of May 1st, restaurants are allowed to conduct indoor dining as long as they’re operating at a 25 percent capacity.
For Roger Gairy, general manager of Creole on 14th St, this allowance is still a hindrance for their business. “At 25 percent capacity, we’re relying on delivery and takeout orders,” he said. The pandemic created issues for all businesses on top of the obstacles that Black-owned restaurants already face. An H&R Block study found that, out of 3,000 small businesses, more than half of Black business owners saw their revenue decrease by 50 percent. “We have to work short because we can’t afford to have most of our regular staff in,” Gairy said. “We can’t afford to pay them if we only have 25 percent capacity.”
With the current trajectory of D.C.’s reopening plan, the general manager is hoping for a capacity allowance of at least 50 percent in the near future.
“That’s going to bring more revenue, we’ll be able to bring in more employees, and we’ll be able to have more of a customer base.” But even with many pandemic-related issues stopping the growth of their restaurant, Gairy paused to recognize a positive aspect in an otherwise negative experience. “We’re very happy for the support we’re getting, especially from the Black community, we just hope we continuously get support.”
Peter Opare, a partial owner of Open Crumb, also made note of the impact of job losses during the pandemic has had on their business. “The loss of income in the community has reduced the amount of people who are able to eat out,” he stated, “and it’s pretty much cut my sales in half as well as the loss of considerable catering opportunities.” The significant change in the labor market has been felt nationwide, but especially in the Black community. The Economic Policy Institute collected data that showed how the unemployment rate of Black workers surged from 5.8 percent to 16.7 percent within the first three months of the pandemic.
Job losses did not impact Open Crumb, however, due to the structure of the business. “Fortunately for us, everyone that works here owns a piece of the business, we’re a fully family-owned business,” he said. “But we did have to stop hiring people because I don’t like to bring on people if I don’t know I can pay them.” In terms of the future, Opare only wished for business to pick back up. “But, of course, that’s dependent upon how people recover from the pandemic.”
