Step by Step

Restaurant industry leaders look toward the future and discuss a path forward

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The past year has been a test for the restaurant industry.

The changes that surfaced were in direct response to survival, and one year into the pandemic, survival remains at the forefront, but perhaps 2021 has the potential to be a rebuilding year for our nationally recognized restaurant scene.

In the sports world, this phrase signifies a new strategy or direction. The team’s management has assessed the struggles of the present situation and recognizes that change is necessary. The hope is that those changes will bring growth, evolution and, most importantly, success and longevity. A rebuilding year is a chance to restore what is lost, to come back better and stronger than before.

We spoke with industry leaders about their needs, hopes and visions for the year ahead. And while we don’t know what the future will bring, we do believe 2021 will be focused on easing into a “new” way of dining: continuing to examine systemic changes related to equitable pay, benefits and sick leave; exploring the elimination of archaic rules — case in point: newly legal cocktails to go — and the role restaurants and their employees play in our city’s landscape; embracing takeout and other to-go concepts; rethinking the way diners eat; and seeking more financial assistance on the local, state and national levels.

Sunny Baweja

Chef-owner of Lehja

“It’s not easy, but it’s not going away right away. Overall, I feel like there [are] going to be way more changes in the industry. This [pandemic] will stay in people’s minds for a long time, and we will still do more to-go business than dine-in. The whole mindset now when thinking of a dish or menu is, 'If I am going to eat the food and spend the money, how would I react when this final plate was in front of me?' How a dish travels never came to mind before. The whole idea has always been customer satisfaction, and now it’s, 'How can we improve the dishes with these new circumstances and stay on top of things?' ”

Johnny Giavos

Restaurateur whose portfolio includes Stella’s, The Sidewalk Cafe and Little Nickel

“There will be no straight day this is going to end — it will drive on for a while. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and [city officials] need to streamline everything downtown a little better. Liaisons should be trying to figure out, do [restaurants] have their licenses and permits they need? ... Have the changes they’ve made with patio or outdoor dining benefited the neighborhoods? Those are the things the city needs to see. It’s time to be progressive, and we have to move in ways that are positive for the industry. We have professionals here that aren’t going anywhere; their livelihood is the restaurant scene.”

Julia Battaglini

Owner of Secco Wine Bar

“I am really pleased to see the mutual support and camaraderie between restaurants that arose from all these trials — especially the Richmond Restaurants United group. They have created a forum for us to ask each other about everything from [the Paycheck Protection Program’s] impact on workers’ comp policies to sharing job opportunities to lobbying and policy updates. Before this, no one ever talked about money. Now, we’re all in it together. I think this natural instinct among RVA restaurants will help carry us through to the next era, whatever the hell that is.

“This past year also drove home just how untenable this business’ financial model is. The low wages, income disparity between [front] and [back of house], inhumane hours, lack of benefits, high rents, and relentless food cost increases make it a terrible way to earn a living for all of us. I truly hope some positive changes come out of this mess, but sadly I don’t have very high hopes. People are reluctant to do things differently than what they know, but mostly I hope the tipping system gets upended and the work-till-you-drop-dead ethic gets overhauled.”

Brittanny Anderson

Chef and co-owner of Black Lodge, Brenner Pass, and Metzger Bar & Butchery

“We would really like to see everyone vaccinated. I think it changes a lot of things for us as workers, and we would feel safer and more comfortable with indoor dining. Richmond Restaurants United and Kevin Liu [founder of RRU and co-owner of The Jasper] have been lobbying with the governor and the city to make sure our needs and employees’ needs are met first. That could be a game-changer for restaurants. There’s something weird about announcing restaurant openings in the middle of all of this, but a lot of people don’t see this stuff and understand we are just using our side space [for the takeout-friendly Black Lodge] and transforming it — a big pivot. I definitely feel like we’ve just got to keep moving and often feel like a shark — if I stop moving, I’ll die — and can’t think about the bad stuff.”

Sophia Kim

Bartender at Longoven

“My fear is how confusing this next year will be and how difficult will it be to logistically continue on. We are working with the public, and they do want to go and eat at restaurants, and they want to sit inside and gain some of that normalcy back, but I’m hoping it won’t be difficult to convince people that it’s still going to be important to wear a mask and socially distance and continue what we’re doing to stay safe.

“It’s not just about, ‘Oh, can I go eat inside a restaurant?’ It’s about a whole ecosystem of people and their jobs and their families and their livelihoods. This industry is more than just a plate of food being served to a person, and I’m hoping the government will come to appreciate that more, give us more support and understand how complex it is.

“A better work-life balance is something I hope to see in the future. I think change is catalyzed by breakage, and the industry did break, and we’re still trying to figure out into what pieces and [how to] rebuild it. But there is the positive side, which is the changes to come could be good, as long as we are intentionally thinking about those changes and working towards them.”