Limited operation as an opportunity for quality businesses
Limited operation as an opportunity for quality businesses
Part 1 - Together restaurants, Nota Bene and U Matěje vs. emergency state close up.
The whole gastronomic segment is currently affected by government restrictions due to limitation of Covid-19 spreading. Since then, the situation is exciting, sometimes less clear, but still alive. We asked several of our long-term clients, how do restaurateurs face limited customer traffic? Surprisingly, optimism, effort, determination and, above all, hope are heard from their answers.
U Matěje and Stůl JP are cooking for indispensables
Jan Punčochář, head chef of U Matěje and Stůl JP restaurant, decides resolutely: "According to the new announcement, we are to be closed until June 8th. It's a worst scenario than I imagined, but we have to make it. "
Both restaurants are currently closed to guests and sale through window is not considered here. "We really pay attention to the quality of our food and we would not be able to maintain it," explains Jan. Nevertheless, together with Honza Stejskal from SFOOD project, he prepares 800 portions a day for the project Vaříme nepostradatelným (We cook for independent), which was founded by Zdeněk Pohlreich. The delivery is in charge of drivers and cars from AutoESA and the first partners of the project were Plzeňský Prazdroj and Komerční banka, where a transparent account was opened.
Only ten months have passed since the opening of the U Matěje restaurant, the company was doing very well in that period and was not burdened with a large loan. So they have now some reserves for approximately three months. All the profits are now drowning, even though Jan is actually glad that there is nothing to pay for the employees and other fixed costs. So far the employees receive 100% of their salary, without tips, which usually make up a large part of their salary.
Nota Bene Restaurant in a sleep mode
Lukáš Nevyjel, the owner and chef of Nota Bene, is positive: "So far, we have been working non-stop for several years. Therefore is Nota Bene closed currently. We are now enjoying a calm regime but we are looking forward to the future.
Lukáš´s opinion is, that it is not economical to have a kitchen in operation in this situation, unless it is a company that was specialized in food delivery already before the pandemic. The local dishes, sought after for their delicate and clean design, would suffer from dispensing and delivery. "We don't pay attention to charity, populism is not my direction. In fact, I can't even imagine well enough how someone can give away when there is no profit," he said. The local team is made up of only a few employees and there is no prospect of layoffs in the future, even though finances are declining. Lukáš evaluates emergency measures and their impacts from the brighter side. He would be pleased if the Prague gastronomic scene would be cleansed and instead of companies building primarily on business and the highest possible earnings, quality and true products to be created.
Together restaurants has engaged in discussions with the government
David Petřík , the owner of Together says: "The difficult times and ways we try to defensively eliminate costs during downtime do not correspond to our philosophy. We want to build on services and be responsible for quality."
Sia, Bruxx, Vinohrady Parliament, Skála, the Confectioner, Sisters, Potrefená husa in Hybernská and Pardubice and Foodway Catering. 10 businesses with 360 employees. Reserves intended for possible seasonal fluctuations are not enough for the current collapse of traffic. Two months and if there is no resumption of operations, it will react with partial redundancies. Businesses are newly adapted to the distribution and delivery of food, the offer has been reduced and adjusted so that they suffer as little as possible from the rebate. Turnover of the whole network is 9% compared to the standard. Paradoxically, it now consists of the smallest companies - two confectioneries and a bistro Sisters.
David joined the signatories of the open letter to the Czech government and emphasize: „We want to communicate louder what we currently see as a big problem and which challenges await the gastro-field. As part of this activity, the APRON Association, led by Sylvio Spohr, was established and we feel that contributions to the discussion from interested members have given rise to the useful initiative emerging that can correct the views between the gastronomy sector and the government."
During the time of quarantine, we introduced several customer-friendly changes at Premium Gastro. For the duration of the emergency state, we are sending all orders for free of charge in the Czech and Slovak Republics. We have also selected products that can elegantly facilitate part of the work for operations at this time. They are HERE. We also do not forget to help the needy within the charity project Talíř za halíř.