Restaurants rebound after pandemic years
Courtesy of Ye Olde Kopper KettleYe Olde Kopper Kettle’s operations manager Kristin Stimmell, left, and her mother, owner Debra DiStefano, persevered during the pandemic.
For the better part of four years, “scratch” has been the operative word at V&V Scratch Kitchen.
“Things were scary for the whole world,” said Martin Lamarche, reflecting on the perils the pandemic wrought on humankind, especially his family, friends and the Union Township restaurant he and his wife, Kristin, own and operate.
“When you look at the world, it changed and robbed from us. Other (dining) places were closing, but we wouldn’t let the troubles make us forget what we were doing. We owed it to everyone to fight and claw to beat adversity.”
Scratching and clawing became a lifestyle in early 2020, featuring a global population striving to fend off a deadly disease and countless businesses trying to avoid shutdown – some unsuccessfully.
The restaurant industry, in particular, has taken multiple hits over that time – from indoor dining restrictions; consumers reluctant to eat out; supply-chain challenges; and more contemporarily, higher food prices that are passed on to grousing customers. Oh, and the all too common staffing shortages.
Scratching and clawing – and perseverance – however, appear to be paying off for restaurants and owners in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties – and elsewhere – according to owners and employees at five local establishments.
For V&V, it has been “V as in victory,” which transitioned to take-out shortly after the pandemic commenced.
“We’ve tried every excuse to make it through,” said Martine (pronounced Mar-teen) Lamarche. “In different ways, crowds are coming back.” We offer way more take-out, way more sandwiches, way more entrees, But it’s been a lot of fun.”
He credits Kristin for finding the location where they launched their operation in May 2018, named for their children, Vincent and Vivien, and appreciates the local backing they have received. “My wife’s strength has enabled us to survive an onslaught, which is what the pandemic was. And the community has embraced us in ways we never imagined.”
Operations manager Kristen Stimmell likewise is gratified by how Ye Olde Kopper Kettle Restaurant has navigated the turbulent waters of restaurant operations.
“We definitely had struggles, but I feel we waded through the pandemic better than we could have anticipated,” she said Tuesday afternoon from inside the South Strabane Township dining destination.
Kopper Kettle, which offers indoor and outdoor dining, lost that when Gov. Tom Wolf mandated shutdowns of restaurants during the early pandemic. The facility, however, responded quickly to provide take-out orders.
Stimmell, daughter of owner Debra DiStefano, admitted that the restaurant along Route 40 “experienced a lot of challenges” maintaining a sufficiently sized staff of employees.
Worker shortages forced operators to close on many Mondays and Tuesday in 2021, at a location that traditionally was open all seven days.
Yet management persevered. “We have maintained the majority of our serving staff throughout and have been able to keep all employees employed during the pandemic,” Stimmell said. “Just in the last couple of months, we’ve been able to maintain a full staff – front and back.”
Kopper Kettle also has resumed daily dining operations.
Menu selections are subject to rising prices, especially items such as seafood. “Anyone who shops in a grocery store experiences the same thing,” Stimmell said. “We’re not simply providing a product, but services and experience. We consult with our food purveyor to determine price increases.”
Lavern’s Restaurant in Morgan Township likewise has endured struggles, but has rebounded, said Tara Tennant, a longtime employee.
“I feel like things have gotten better since (the early part of) the pandemic, but we’re maybe not at full capacity. We have a decent size, 20 tables plus a bar.”
Lavern’s is a family-style establishment owned by Lavern Thistlewaite, a 90-year-old restaurateur, who still offers carry-out. Tennant said its clientele is largely made up of older couples and families, some of whom were concerned about dining out a few years ago. “Some came back, some didn’t wait around. That was a bad time here.”
Tennant said sandwiches are popular at Lavern’s, along with cheeseburgers, stuffed chicken, meatloaf, ham and “big salads.”
“We try to keep prices lower because we’re geared for an older crowd. We did end up raising them about a year or two after COVID (arrived), but since then they’ve been the same. Lavern hadn’t changed the menu for years and years. Burgers were $4; they’re now closer to $6.”
Staffing, Tennant said, has been an issue at Lavern’s as well. “It’s hard to find help,” she said. “My main concern is getting people to apply and getting them to stay. Our staff is at 14. As long as nobody gets sick … There have been days when we had to shut down because someone was sick.”
Adi Karamcheti of East Washington opened La Calera Mexican Restaurant Bar and Grill in Peters Township on Valentine’s Day 2022 – about halfway through the pandemic. So the breadth of issues he has encountered isn’t as large. Yet he has had a few..
“Finding employees is the biggest legacy of the pandemic,” he said. Karamcheti and the restaurant, however, have benefited from having residential units at the back of the restaurant building, alleviating a housing issue for some. Ten are employed there.
“Our costs are with getting employees and retaining them. We’ve increased pay, which affects our bottom line. That is a challenge.”
Food prices have been a challenge at La Calera as well. “They’re not going down like we saw before,” Karamcheti said. “But they’ve stabilized and are coming down a little. We take that as a positive.”
Another positive is that a second La Calera has opened, in Baldwin Borough.
The pandemic’s effects on restaurant operations have, indeed, been a mixed bag.
Ben Fileccia, senior vice president of strategy and engagement for the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association, said, “We did see a lot closures during the pandemic and afterward. But what is astounding and outstanding is the number of places projected to close did not materialize. We’re happy to see how many survived.”
He added that “crowds have returned” and that in Southwestern Pennsylvania and nationwide, “restaurant sales hitting same levels as 2019.”
But, he added, there are caveats. “We’ve hit that number because in some places, costs have risen because labor and goods have gone up.
“Revenues have hit 2019 levels, but restaurants are not making as much as they did in 2019. The traditional profit margin is 2% to 7%, but costs of all operating costs are up in the Pittsburgh region.”