Chefs Sweat; Hamden Venues Mapped

With chairs stacked on tables after Gov. Ned Lamont ordered all dine-in restaurant service closed on March 16, most Hamden restaurateurs have managed to stay afloat for now with deliveries and takeout. But they’re scraping the bottom of the pan, they said, and some may soon be baking their last batches and flipping their last pies.

Nearly every restaurant or bakery owner who spoke with the Independent said they’ve lost business. Some said they were holding on by the last threads. Others said it hadn’t gotten too bad yet. Nearly all said they either had to let go of staff or shorten their staff’s hours.

Since March 16, restaurants, bars, and bakeries in Connecticut have been allowed to serve only takeout (or delivery).

A few restaurants and other food establishments in Hamden decided just to close entirely until the governor lifts his order. Most have tried to adapt to a takeout- and delivery-only restaurant landscape. Many have started their own delivery services, and many will bring food outside to customers’ cars so customers don’t have to come inside the restaurant at all.

Many also partner with third-party food delivery companies like Uber Eats, Grubhub, and Doordash. Uber Eats has waived its delivery fee for customers at many independent restaurants, and Grubhub has deferred (but not canceled) the fees some restaurants pay to appear on its website. While third-party companies do help bring business to local restaurants that might not get it otherwise, beware. They also charge a commission (usually anywhere from 15 – 30 percent of a purchase), so restaurants only get a part of what the customer pays. If you want all of your money to go to a local restaurant and not elsewhere, order from the restaurant directly and pick up food, or ask if the restaurant does their own delivery service. Read more about that here.

Above is a map of every independent restaurant (and a few cafes and locally-owned grocery stores) in Hamden and information on whether they deliver, do curbside pickup (they bring food outside to customers’ cars), or partner with third-party delivery apps. All businesses on the map that are still open are available for takeout. Red car icons represent businesses that have their own delivery service. Purple car icons are for those that partner with third-party delivery apps. Purple shopping bag icons are for businesses that just do takeout, but no delivery. Black icons represent businesses that have, alas, had to close because of the virus, at least temporarily.

Click on the box with an arrow in the upper left-hand corner to see a list of all the restaurants on the map. If any map information is incorrect, or if we forgot a business, please click the ​“email the author” link to let us know.

Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management Gary Merwede said that when people pick up food or get it delivered, they should make sure to always maintain six feet from anyone they encounter. He said he prefers Apple Pay for payment because it does not require the customer to touch a keypad. For households with a sick family member, door-step delivery (when a delivery worker leaves food on the doorstep) is the best option, he said, because it requires no person-to-person contact at all.

Merwede said that people should always unwrap their food and discard the wrapping and then wash their hands thoroughly before eating.

“The days of picking some fries out of the bag on the way home are over,” he said.

“Restaurants that are offering pickup and delivery are taking the pressure off the grocery stores and boosting public confidence in the food supply,” he said. ​“My hope is that people will adjust accordingly and thereby reduce the impulse to hoard certain items.”

Merwede had one last reminder: wipe down and disinfect steering wheels, door handles, and other ​“high-touch” areas as often as possible. If you touch a public ​“high-touch” area like a gas pump, an ATM, a door handle, a crossing-light button, or anything on a public transportation vehicle, wash your hands after for at least 20 seconds with soap and water.

Toilet Paper’s a Must. ​“Cookies Not So Much, Apparently.”

Every business owner who spoke with the Independent said business has taken a hit. Still, a few seemed optimistic.

Jessica Hazan, who owns The Soup Girl in Whitneyville, said that business is ​“pretty good. We’re still keeping busy. We have a lot of supportive customers.”

Hazan, unlike many business owners in Hamden, runs a relatively small operation that does not focus on dine-in service. She serves soup out of a small Whitney Avenue storefront and does not have room for table service so she doesn’t require waiters or most other front-end staff. In normal times, she said, she would only have up to four people working at a time. She said she’s been doing a lot of deliveries now (with her son and staff now taking on new roles as drivers). She said she is fighting to keep all of her staff, and has been successful so far, though she has had to adjust her hours.

Businesses like The Soup Girl, where no staff has been laid off and owners are optimistic, are the exception. Most of Hamden’s restaurants do not have many of the advantages Hazan has. She runs a lean, mostly-takeout business with a loyal customer base in one of Hamden’s wealthier, highly walkable neighborhoods. Other businesses that rely on the dining experience to attract customers have much bigger operations and have not fared as well.

A few doors down from The Soup Girl, Eamonn Ryan, owner of The Playwright Irish Pub, was less optimistic. He runs a large, very popular restaurant and pub that relies mostly on diners eating in and on parties and other events. Many of the things he would normally do to attract business, like hosting trivia nights, he cannot do anymore. All of the events he had scheduled had to cancel. He said he lost lunch business because the people that would normally work nearby, like employees of the Hamden Board of Education down the street, are working from home. And he can no longer rely on the appeal of eating in a cozy Irish pub, or on friends needing beer together at the end of the week, to keep business booming.

“Anything I do to bring in business is out of the window. All gone,” he said. ​“It could close places, to be honest, because nobody can withstand this. The big thing is the uncertainty.”

With universities in the area likely to cancel their graduations, that’s another big chunk of business out the window for a place like the Playwright. He said it would take a cash injection for businesses like his to stay afloat.

Ryan has had to adapt. He said he started doing deliveries, often delivering food himself. He also had to let go of most of his staff. He would usually employ bar tenders, wait staff, floor managers, assistants, dish washers, and more, but without dine-in service, he can’t anymore.

Nearly every other restaurant owner said the same thing. They, too, have had to lay off some or most of their staffs, especially at large restaurants that rely on dine-in customers like the Playwright does.

Aimee Barraco, general manager of the Spring Glen Italian restaurant Café Amici, said she and her husband have had to let go of almost all of their staff. They just have two chefs right now, and themselves, and that’s it.

“We’re trying to do the best we can for us to stay afloat and for our customers to stay healthy,” she said. The restaurant is offering a deal for families where kids can eat free if an adult purchases an entrée, since school is out and many students rely on school-provided lunches to eat.

Further up Whitney Avenue, another large dine-in restaurant has had to let go of much of its staff. Paul Mendillo, assistant manager of Eli’s on Whitney, said he would normally have 20 to 25 people working. Now, he only has three or four at a time.

Barbara’s Restaurant, a small diner on Dixwell Avenue, was an exception. Owner Gregorios Hrampanis said he has managed to hang on to his staff so far by reducing their hours. The restaurant is very small, and doesn’t have a large staff to begin with.

The inability to serve diners in the restaurant is only a part of why restaurants are struggling. For many, their key customer bases are not around. Tonino’s Pizza owner Gino Kostelli said he usually relies on Quinnipiac students for a lot of business. With students gone, a large slice of his customer base is gone

In many cases, restaurants and food businesses rely on customers who are willing to spend disposable income. With so many people out of work, fewer people are willing to spend money on non-essentials like restaurant meals.

And when it comes to cookies, it’s even worse.

“We’re in trouble,” said Marni Esposito, owner of the cookie shop Moon Rocks. ​“First of all, we’re a nice to have, not a need to have. Our primary business is gift baskets, mostly related to businesses, so almost every business has already called and canceled their baskets.”

She said that in order for small businesses like hers to survive, the government would need to step in and suspend all payments like rents and mortgages for 90 days

“In all honesty, we’re doubtful that we’re going to survive,” she said. ​“Apparently, we need to have toilet paper. Cookies not so much, apparently.”