Tanya Cauthen, owner of Belmont Butchery, has seen an increase in business since social distancing began. (Photo courtesy Belmont Butchery)
In the span of days, Belmont Butchery owner Tanya Cauthen went from selling 50 pounds of ground beef per week to 400. After her team broke down meat for a fourth time in one shift, the nose-to-tail proponent turned to them and said bluntly, “We can’t keep this s--- up.”
The 14-year-old butcher shop has years of practice with spikes in business, but going from a face-to-face model to a telephone-only operation during a global pandemic, all while trying to maintain its mission and quality of product? Not so much.
“The biggest thing people don’t realize is … we’ve all had to change our entire infrastructure,” Cauthen says, noting that she is not alone.
As people limit trips to larger grocery stores, restaurant dining rooms remain closed and meat-packing plants shutter amid outbreaks, customers have turned to small, local shops with less foot traffic and fewer steps in the supply chain.
But, Cauthen says, “We’re not equipped to operate like the big boys.”
Since mid-March, Belmont Butchery cheesemonger Sara Adduci’s weekly hours have increased from 12 to 25, Cauthen has brought holiday staff on board, and each day, an employee is designated for a six-hour shift on phone duty.
Cauthen has also encountered hurdles in the supply chain.
“Before, I could replenish literally 90% of what I needed within 12 hours, and all of a sudden, I can’t,” she says, citing hoarding, distributors out of stock and fewer drivers as part of the problem. “That, for me, is the biggest shift.”
Many distributors lost the majority of their clientele overnight when restaurants closed, which in turn affects Cauthen’s business. “They can’t send a truck out just for me,” she says. “It’s about, can they get it from point A to point B in an economically viable manner?”
Deliveries have plummeted from almost daily to once or twice a week, depending on the company. A common question Cauthen encounters from newer customers when something isn’t in stock: Why do I have to wait a day?
“[It's] frustrating to think these are people we may not be able to have a second shot with after this pandemic because we’ve been handicapped by the current situation,” she says, sharing that she feels a sense of failure.
Small-business owners are planners, not used to the reactionary, ever-changing, roll-with-the-punches atmosphere of the past few months.
“We don’t remember what day it is,” says a chuckling Booth Hardy, owner of the decade-old Barrel Thief Wine Shop & Cafe.
The Patterson Avenue shop is currently running with a three-person squad — Hardy, wine buyer Diane McMartin and a designated delivery driver. When the pandemic struck, Barrel Thief had no online platform for ordering in place. “We streamlined that real quick,” Hardy says. “It was like survival mode.”
Now, customers can browse selections online and opt for delivery or pickup. Tasting notes aid customers in selections, which he believes has actually helped reel in new, younger clientele. Business is steady, allowing him to continue to support distributors, and, luckily for Hardy, wine’s shelf-stable nature allows Barrel Thief to avoid being affected by fewer deliveries.
“Wine distributors are relying on people like us,” he says.
At Tuckahoe Seafood, owner Drew Lucas has been glued to his email and phone since shutting his doors to walk-ins. He posts the shop’s daily offerings on Facebook, receiving an average of 75 orders on Thursdays and 100 on Saturdays, all via email. Voicemail and phone tag, back-and-forth chats, and an occasional technical difficulty are simply part of the routine.
“We’re figuring out how to do this business in a way we had no readily available method for,” Lucas says. “It’s a much more intense process.”
A week’s worth of sales are now crunched into two days. Five major wholesalers supplying his shop have dwindled to one, and Lucas says he’s unwilling to sacrifice quality. “It’s nice to see the community embrace that side of the food chain,” Lucas shares. “The volume of orders is through the roof, which is a blessing, but a lot to deal with.”
Numbers-wise, business is booming, but sustainability and sanity are concerns. The foundation of these community-centered, niche shops is rooted in conviviality, opening people’s minds and palates, and building relationships through in-store interactions.
“We can keep doing this, but I’m looking forward to getting closer to a sense of normalcy, and every level of the supply chain is looking for how to make that happen, and doing so in a responsible and safe manner,” Lucas says.
