Takeout, a lifeline for restaurants

Takeout, a lifeline for restaurants

As diners stay in

By Irish Mae Silvestre
The Philippine Reporter

Casa Manila owners Zaldy Cuachon, Mila Nabor-Cuachon and a staff

On an ordinary day, restaurant owner Mila Nabor-Cuachon would be greeting regulars and weaving through tables carrying steaming plates of sisig fries or beef kaldereta.

What a difference a pandemic makes.

These days, the owner of CASA Manila waits in her empty restaurant every day, cleaning, redecorating, taking down curtains and listening to the silence of York Mills Road.

When the ding of a bell punctures the quiet, Cuachon brings out paper bags of food to busy delivery drivers.

It’s a familiar scene that’s playing out in restaurants across Canada as people are urged to stay indoors, forcing many restaurants to do their best to survive.

Hard Choices

“[One of the decisions we had to make] was laying off our staff so they can go on Employment Insurance (EI) immediately before the backlog happened and also not to expose them [to the disease],” said Cuachon. “We had staff who volunteered but when Dr. Eileen de Villa (Medical Officer of Health for the City of Toronto) said that this is serious that’s when I said, ‘Maybe we should just close.’ I was just uneasy the whole night. But when I checked, it wasn’t that bad – it was only a $65 difference.”

Since then, it’s been Cuachon and their cook manning the fort, sometimes even catering to large families celebrating birthdays and memorials at home. “I’m not comparing food service with those who are really in the frontline, but food has a way of being a Tiger Balm – it soothes you and heals you a bit,” she said.

Marc Buenaventura,
iSLAS owner

Across town, at iSLAS Filipino BBQ and Bar on Queen Street West, husband and wife owners Marc and Mariel Buenaventura have also had to let their staff go. “Most of our staff have decided to apply for EI while they wait,” said Marc Buenaventura. “I wish we could do more for them.”

For now, it’s just the couple managing the restaurant – him in the kitchen, her managing orders.

“It makes us compete with many fast food services,” said Buenaventura.

He added that one of his long-term concerns is that “it will be awhile before customers feel comfortable to eat in public again with lots of people.”

Filipino-owned Green Mango Thai restaurant, Managing Director Philip Rejante

Over at Green Mango in Etobicoke, a Filipino-owned Thai restaurant, Managing Director Philip Rejante said that while restaurants have been considered an essential business, the drop in sales have been “drastic.” “Everyone is adjusting and making the most of the situation,” he said.

Extra Measures

While the food industry is no stranger to strict hygiene standards, extraordinary times require extraordinary measures.

Cuachon has created a makeshift barrier with tables and dividers to close off dining areas. “I have moveable walls so I’ve made sure no one can walk into the restaurant and I bring the orders out to the driver’s cars, sticker sealed,” she said.

The Buenaventuras have also blocked off a section of the restaurant with tables serving as pick up points for deliveries. Likewise, at Green Mango, where floor markers encourage social distancing.

“We’ve implemented ‘no contact’ delivery and have measures in place to reduce the chance of transmission such as hand-washing and sanitizing surfaces,” said Rejante. “Customers have been very appreciative of those efforts and of those working during this time in order to provide them with essential services.”

And, of course, on tables are the ever-present bottles of hand sanitizers.

Adapting to a New Normal

Cuachon said that a year ago, she started to see “a bit of a slow-down.” In order to open up another revenue stream, she signed up for delivery services like Uber Eats and had their website redesigned for easy online orders.
Acknowledging that people’s spending habits are changing, she said, “I have a promotion going with Uber Eats and Skip the Dishes to make it easier on [customers’] pocketbooks because everybody’s watching what they’re spending,” she said.

Similarly, Green Mango and iSLAS also work with various delivery services to dispatch meals to customers missing their pad thai or bagnet kare kare.

As other restaurants shutter or ask customers to donate to their staff, the ones left are making a stand for as long as they can. “I wish I could take off work or work from home like many of my friends, but someone has to feed the masses,” said Rejante. “I’m blessed to be able to do what I do and provide work for some of my staff and food for the brave souls who dare to wander out of the safety of their homes for Thai food.”

For their part, customers are doing their best to support local businesses by purchasing gift cards or certificates to be redeemed during less stressful times.

“As I sit here looking out the window at the bare street, I’ll do my bit,” said Cuachon. “Everyone’s going through struggles right now and if we focus on ourselves, it’s [going to be] a lot worse.”

Takeout packages ready for pick-up at Green Mango

• Green Mango – www.greenmango.ca

The makeshift takeout bar at iSLAS

• iSLAS Filipino BBQ and Bar – www.islasto.com

Food ready for wrapping and delivery.

• CASA manila – www.casamanila.ca

(Photos: Irish Mae Silvestre)