La Sirene is now offering delivery and take-out.
By Alex Israel
New York City’s stay-at-home order has restricted bars and restaurants to delivery and takeout service since March 22. While they still don’t know when they will be allowed to open for dine-in service, local business owners are already considering how their operations will have to change in the aftermath of the coronavirus.
WSR spoke with Didier Pawlicki, owner of La Siréne, a French bistro on the southwest corner of 80th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, and Jake Poznak, owner of Moonrise Izakaya, a Japanese-style pub on the northwest corner of 98th Street and Amsterdam, to understand how local restaurants might look in the coming months.
La Siréne had been open for three years prior to the pandemic. Earlier this week Pawlicki decided to offer delivery and takeout service—a first for the business—to help support his staff, who had their hours cut as a result of the stay-at-home order. The extra “pocket money” coming in from the reopening (about $350 a day, he estimated) is nice for now, but he is uncertain he can sustain La Siréne once sit-down service resumes. He believes the state will limit bars and restaurants to 50 percent capacity, in the best case scenario, through 2020—which in turn will majorly limit his profit margins.
The painted wall of Moonrise Izakaya.
Poznak is considering similar issues at Moonrise Izakaya. The pub opened in October of 2019—only five months before being forced to shut its doors to sit-down service because of the virus. While it has remained closed throughout the duration of the stay-at-home order, Poznak is making plans to reopen for takeout and delivery via a sidewalk pickup window sometime during the week of May 11. “I want to get everyone back to work as soon as possible,” he said. It’s his assumption that when allowed to fully reopen, dine-in customers will be capped at 25 percent before being scaled up to 50 percent. “I don’t think we’ll see full capacity for a while. Even if it was allowed, I don’t see consumers wanting to eat at a fully crowded restaurant.”
Both said they are anxiously awaiting official guidelines from the city or state for when—and how—restaurants can resume in-person dining. In the meantime, they’re already exploring some new approaches.
At the end of the day, “it doesn’t matter much when we open,” Pawlicki told WSR. “It matters how we open. We have to show people that we care,” he said. He plans to implement several new tactics to make diners feel safe—beyond requiring washable cotton masks and gloves for all employees (“of course”) and regular disinfection of the restaurant and physical distancing of the tables (“this is obvious”).
One of Pawlicki’s ideas is to host two separate dining services within set time frames—one from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and the next from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. This would help maximize the amount of possible patrons over the course of an evening in the case of a mandated capacity cap, he said.
Pawlicki is also turning to technology to help bolster customer and employee safety. He is currently exploring mobile applications that would allow diners to send orders directly to the kitchen from their own device, to avoid back-and-forth menu handling. He’s also been approached by a company selling walk-through scanners that would take temperature and spray disinfectant outside the door.
Poznak is focusing on physical safety for now. “We will do everything we can to keep everyone safe and healthy,” he said. He plans to install sanitizer stations in the entryway, outside the bathrooms, and in the middle of the restaurant. He’s also exploring more robust washing stations, namely sinks with soap to sit outside of the pub’s entrance and bathrooms. And in terms of masks, he wants to get creative. “We’re going to try to get some logo masks, so that it doesn’t just look like a surgical mask or a bandana—we can be on brand while being safe.”
Despite their plans, business owners remains face a looming challenge: making rent.
Luckily, Poznak is collaborating with his landlords, a father and son duo, to determine a modified payment plan based on incoming stimulus money and loans. “They have been extremely amazing to work with,” he said. “Even though they’re in the business of selling space, given the economy right now they want as many people succeeding in their spaces as they can.”
While Pawlicki said he “can’t complain” about the relationship with his landlord over the last few weeks, he is most worried about rent in a future where restrictions limit the amount of people allowed inside. “The rent has to be renegotiated,” he said. “Already, $20,000 for 1,100 square feet wasn’t cheap. But with half capacity, it would be impossible to make any profit,” he said. He hopes to negotiate a 50 percent rent cut—and if he cannot reach an agreement with his landlord, he will be forced to move, he added.
At the core of any planning is a desire to bring back their employees, while keeping them safe, too—something both owners are anxious to do.
“It takes time to find the right team,” said Pawlicki, praising his staff, who he has had to furlough or reduce to very limited hours. “They love to work with me, and they love to work together, so it should not be a big deal to reunite them again.”
“They are very eager to get back to work,” said Poznak about his team, most of whom have also been temporarily laid off. “A lot of them have told me that they’re bored, and they begged me to open earlier,” he said. “I just want to make sure that we’re in a good place to take all safety precautions before getting to that point.”
Both owners believe a presumed return to normalcy can only come with a vaccine. But in the meantime, they’re hopeful that they can make the most out of the situation.
“We’re going to do our best to adapt,” said Pawlicki. “We’re looking towards the future, to try to learn something out of this crisis.”
“I’m excited to go back to work,” said Poznak. “This is the longest vacation I’ve ever had.”
I do not think they will be able to use their sidewalk unenclosed space either(restaurants that have them) as this will limit sidewalk space and pedestrians walk close to tables.
I see a high rate of closures as the city wont start its 4 phases of 2 weeks a piece until June or late June-July meaning the phases wont be complete till August or September in NYC. So that means another 3-4 Months till these restaurants will be open.
Could open streets for pedestrians, then outside tables could be on sidewalk.
Agree with other comments here that we have vast amounts of public space that we could re-allocate to help our struggling small businesses and restaurants. Let’s repurpose the curbside lane and allow restaurants to place tables and chairs out there. At least that helps them until the weather turns colder. After that, the curbside lane could be used for a waiting area for people who are picking up take-out or for dedicated delivery zones for the stores/restaurants.
They should definitely convert the unused bike lanes to dedicated pedestrian walkways.
I would 100% grab take-out from Moonrise as soon as it re-opens.
User name checks out.
Where are these “unused bike lanes”
What’s more important? Bikes lanes or bringing back the economy to our neighborhood? Jobs, Income, entertainment, socially safe alternative to dine out again. No contest.
Yes- this! Awesome way to help restaurants we love on the UWS at this crucial time! Using part of the street for outdoor seating sounds safer than being inside as well. Let’s do this!
https://therealdeal.com/2020/05/04/when-will-nyc-really-get-back-to-work-september-experts-say/
These folks say January for Restaurants.
Great reporting, hope our favorite restaurants can open back up soon. In the meantime, keep it up WSR!
I’m personally looking forward to restaurants having to space their tables farther apart. No more bumping elbows with your neighbors.
I wonder how we’re supposed to use masks while we eat?
Why doesn’t our state push for rent moratoriums. That’s the only way NYC restaurants can survive. Is there legislation afoot that pushes for this? It’s painful to think of a NYC without our restaurants or restaurants open at 25% capacity.
How about property tax moratoriums for the landlords? A considerable portion of the rent these restaurants (and other businesses) pay goes right to the city in the form of property taxes. If the city wants to help commercial tenants (and I’m not sure they do), they should have immediately eliminate property taxes.
Push whom for rent moratoriums? Why do you think it makes sense to make landlords the scapegoats? I think you and your restaurant-deprived friends should pay much higher prices for the pleasure of these restaurants being able to stay open without stiffing their landlords.
Always refreshing to read your voice of reason and sanity Boris. Thanks.
I love La Sirene, and really was dying to get to Moonrise Izakaya, so definitely two at the top of my list that I would hate to lose. I wish them, and of course all good businesses, all the best of luck in navigating forward. I look forward to supporting local business as much as I can.. hang in there, we are rooting for you.
Good reporting. Just wanted to clarify that La Siréne is located on the South West corner of 80th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.
Correct😊
Good catch, thank you! The story has been updated.
I am happy about some optimistic voices, but according to the restaurant association, end of year only 30% of restaurants will survive. A restaurant with a 25% table capacity will not be able to survive, so be prepared for your favorite spots to just go away (according to Eater, NY). Or, go, go, go and eat, if you still have any money left.