News

South End restaurants winterize their operations

by Michele D.  Maniscalco
Friday Oct 9, 2020

This article is from the October 8, 2020 issue of South End News.


Black Lamb, 571 Tremont St.  Photo by Michele Maniscalco
Black Lamb, 571 Tremont St. Photo by Michele Maniscalco  

The summer's warmth offered an ideal setting for outdoor dining and cocktails, giving many local restaurants an economic shot in the arm after the losses caused by the months-long COVID-19 shutdown. Dining patios line South End sidewalks and curbsides, and diners continue to enjoy them.
However, winter's cold, wet weather limit the potential of outdoor seating in the long New England winter, requiring restaurateurs to plan ahead for new revenue streams as outdoor dining becomes difficult and indoor dining is limited in capacity due to ongoing pandemic related limits. The South End News checked in with a few area restaurateurs to learn of their cold-weather business plans.
Seth Woods, chef-owner of the Aquitaine Group, which comprises Aquitaine, Metropolis Café and Gaslight, is treading a cautious path for the safety of staff and guests while sustaining revenues with innovative offerings. Currently, Woods's restaurants offer outdoor dining and some indoors, but he stressed that pandemic metrics will drive his decisions on indoor and outdoor seating.
The dining patio at Aquitaine is on the Union Park Street extension, which it shares with the Black Lamb. Aquitaine warms the dining patio with understated thermal lamps, while the Black Lamb and some other South End eateries, keeps warm with tall, dramatic heat lamps encasing a flame. "Even though the state has opened bar service, we aren't doing it. People are too close together and we don't feel comfortable with it." We've gone to the Nth degree," he explained. "We've said if you as an employee don't agree, that's okay, but this is what we need to do. Inside, we've put ionizers and HEPA filters in our HVAC system, and it's all masks all the time. We are keeping enough distance to feel safe, even if it is less than what is advised. That's what we've done and that is what we are going to keep doing."
Aquitaine will continue meal delivery and takeout as well as retail, which Woods describes picturesquely as "French marketplace," and an "urban CSA," in which customers subscribe to packages including prepared soups and sauces; meal kits for stuffed chicken and other dishes; appetizers and snacks; and organic meats and produce. "We wanted to take advantage of the grocery component."
Woods sees meal kits as a solid part of the future, not just a pandemic-era stopgap. He said, "Meal kits are wonderful. I don'[t think they are ever going to go away." Woods anticipates the purchase of multiple meal kits as an option for entertaining guests.
The casual chic of Anoush'ella's interior extended to its dining patio this summer, with stylish plexiglass and black filigree barriers separating dining tables with an outdoor capacity of 24. Looking back at the summer, Festekjian was sanguine.
"Summer business was good considering all the issues. Outdoor sitting with separations allowed us to maximize seating. The city was very helpful in allowing us the outdoor seating. I don't think it would have mattered the indoor seating capacity as not as many people were willing to dine inside anyways." As the weather gets colder, there will be fewer outdoor seats. "It's too expensive and the regulations imposed are too restrictive for us to make this profitable," Festekjian said. For the autumn and winter, owner Raffi Festekjian plans to introduce meal kits and take-out or delivery dishes designed for dietary programs such as Keto.
In the wake of the March 24 shutdown, Café Quattro at 817 Harrison Avenue closed its dining room, opened a takeout window by the kitchen, and transitioned to take-out and delivery. A considerable portion of Café Quattro's revenue came from catering for Boston Medical Center and other clients, and that evaporated overnight with the cancellation of gatherings.
Chef/owner Evan Butland responded by replacing indoor seating in his small dining area with a retail/pantry operation, selling coffee, olive oil, pasta and cookies imported from Italy; pantry staples such as yeast and 00 flour; and pandemic-hygiene supplies such as vinyl gloves, and paper towels. Café Quattro has continued to draw take-out and orders from BMC workers, police, EMTs, students and neighbors who are loyal fans.
Looking back, Butland said, "Summer business was down a bit, mainly due to catering and events being cancelled." Because his indoor capacity is so limited, he does not foresee a return to indoor dining. "We are currently sticking with takeout only model," Butland said.
Restaurateurs are hopeful but uncertain about their fortunes in the coming months and would like to see the government take steps to support them as the long winter approaches. Woods hopes that the city will allow continued use of the Union Park Street extension for dining and that permission can be granted to use heating units inside a tent.
Butland said, "I think the city and state need to do a lot to alleviate the concerns plaguing small businesses. Although, this may be on the federal level, there needs to be rent relief. Not deferment, but relief. But that relief has to carry on to the landlords, many of whom have large mortgage payments. I don't know how businesses are expected to not only survive, but keep up with payments, when our main revenue streams have been stopped or severely limited."
Festekjian suggested, "Reducing our third-party cost through legislation would be most helpful. Many cities have done this and we have yet to do this in Boston. Just talk about helping restaurants."
In a statement issued on September 30, the Mayor's office announced that it is expanding the Reopen Boston Fund to offer grants of up to $3,000 to help Boston restaurants purchase winter supplies such as heaters, storage equipment and propane to get through the winter. According to the statement, restaurants that have already received funds can reapply, and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Further information is available at boston.gov/reopen-fund.
Woods is grateful for the support that customers and the South End have shown for his businesses through his 27 years heading the Aquitaine Group and through the pandemic. He said, "The South End is an incredibly tight neighborhood with its small restaurants, diversified population and businesses, and its energy. It's just great. I've walked down many streets in Boston, and when you walk down Tremont, you can feel the energy and the resiliency of the neighborhood."