Masked Expressions
Without debate, hospitality culture revolves around celebrating people at the table. Many passionate individuals resonate with this particular aspect of the industry in various forms and make it their life; by cooking with love, enlightening and showering generous reception for their customers in their respective dining rooms. The dish on the table is thus more than a plate of food; it is an experience, a congruence of science, art and craft put together by a dedicated team for the dignified guests.
The essence of hospitality remains the same post-quarantine; but the addition of mandatory guidelines has sidelined smiles, service style, and human touch out of the equation. Cooking or dining out — masked expressions have emerged as the new face of food and drink. As we approach the end of the year, time has indeed shown that that the battle against Covid-19 is here to stay.
Kitchen Chronicles: Post a two-month hiatus
Stepping into my kitchen Birkenstocks, post a two-month hiatus was an organic yet distant feeling. The radiating heat from stoves, clinking of pots, and aggressive sounds from the dishwasher were familiar in the background. These noises made me feel straight at home. Yet it was extreme 360° turn, as suddenly, I was transported to a kitchen where the expectation is to work on rhythm and continually churn dishes, as if nothing has changed! Believe me, no amount of prior world experiences prepared me for the social distancing rules of the kitchen. This harsh reality discussed at a mandatory orientation, outlined by Work Safe BC, put things into perspective — there were no alterations to this recipe.
As thrilled as I was to be amongst the company of other chefs, our usual fist-bumps replaced by distant-guarded hellos; as each of us prepped in our little corner. Locker rooms went silent as the banter over the last small chef coat remained non-existent — very scarce to find. Temperature checks at the beginning of every shift and a signed guarantee that we were symptomless became part of the routine. Accepting one delivery at a time while maintaining distance alongside a temperature check is the new wave. Reduced number of cooks on the line forced us to multi-task between stations and play duo roles to the best of our ability as kitchen chefs were reduced by half. The focus onto the quality of the food continues to exist, but sufficient time and patience paid to the gritty details such as giving the oven handle a clean wipe and sanitization at the eve of every hour. With no time on hands to adapt to the 2.0 rules of the game, we plunged into the sea and the expectation was to swim freestyle.
Vancouver’s food and dining scene steered away from their usual grandiose culinary ways; forcing restaurants to re-tailor their menus. Whole-hearted cooking, fewer elements, and reduced preparation time was the business mantra. Limited choices on the menus kept inventory costs optimal and streamlined, which turned tables quicker; given the fifty-per cent capacity. Now restaurants have to complete two seatings or more to match their previous dining capacity, that is if they are able and fortunate — a big if for almost all restaurants.
The focal point was not limited to bringing out robust flavors and ingredients but included a conscious effort to stay clean and sanitize on the go. The gloves came on, the task checked off the list, and the sanitizer bottle splashed on to the workspace — hygiene has never been this serious. At every hour, the big timer rang while one designated cook dropped his/her task and is well on the way to sanitize doorknobs, handles, and slabs. Outside the kitchen, we follow a strict precaution protocol to keep the virus away. Times are tough, one small error in or outside the kitchen could potentially force one to shut down.
The worst is yet to come — a shut-down
It only takes one guest and one employee for the million-dollar question to be asked around — are we exposed? Many times in restaurants its always the case of the flu given the fall season yet probability of this occurring on every occasion in today’s time is questionable. Whether guests transmit to employees or the other way round; there has always been a constant debate of which is worse.
One highlights the negligence of diners in today’s time and the lengths they will go through for a dine-in meal while the latter results in bad marketing, income losses, and slow business that can’t be afforded. Restaurants have realized that with changing regulations, a shut-down is almost inevitable whether it’s mandated by public heath, the government, and the owners to keep their staff safe which has always been a number one priority. But with time for many closing doors is becoming a permanent solution.
Masks: The unusual kitchen tool
Cooking on the line wearing masks duly deserves a round of applause. Over time the usual blazing heat is something we succumbed to, but this new tool pushed it to a whole new extreme — trapped hot air. Many a time when the orders poured in, our only recourse was to remove the stringed cloth clasped on to our ears to taste! Sometimes, I wonder whether an adaptive mask for chefs would be in the market, which opens at the mouth to let the food in and closes as soon as we close the mouth! As cooks, the job has always taken the front seat while the rest trickles down to passenger status. Now we just had to adapt — a requirement to survive backstage.
Numbers: It’s a business after all
Scribbled Sharpie numerical on the order ticket, gross profit calculations, pandemic up rise, and food costs — numbers never seem to leave us. The Canadian economy may be starting up again, yet on a survey released by Restaurant Canada, six out of ten restaurants are operating at a loss. Many suggest it can take up to a year or longer to recover from this global virus pothole. That being said, opening doors and welcoming local community came at a price — costs of re-opening and multiple efforts to make up for inactive previous months; all under the need to adhere to guidelines and restrictions.
These combined factors are why the restaurant business continues to require support concerning rent relief, payroll assistance, working capital and debt. We may be in the business of facilitating joy to people via food fare, yet prolonged negatives will force owners to shut down their doors for good. For individuals such as myself, it all trickles down to job security — a territory chefs have never trodden on before. “Which restaurants are the talk of the town, did you try their tasting menu, is it worthy of dining on our day-off, are they hiring”? — the small talk we often exchanged on the line. Now, these are absent as the fortunate few are clutching on to the ones we currently have.
Excerpts from conversations: from cooks, servers, and diner
Below are snippets of conversations with industry folks and diners whom I met on various occasions.
Cooks working on the line all seem to agree on missing out on the feel of huddling together in a circle to taste our creations. While the nature of the work remains the same, but now caution has become a pre-text. It has taught us to be cleaner, work smarter, and adapt to fit with waves of the industry. On that note, we built a circle of our trust within the team to keep each other safe and extended the same to the community and guests we serve, now more than ever.” – a companion chef
Servers and farm reps have experienced a 360 turn in regard to their new normal. Their expert opinion went back to the fundamentals: revolving along the lines of the importance of geniality, following the protocol, and making guests feel at ease at all times. No surprise there, customers and guests have always been the raison d’etre of the hospitality industry and rightfully will continue to do so, Corona or no Corona.
As a remedy for the insanity that the quarantine left behind, customers and the industry are adapting to comply with these regulations, as no one wants another shutdown, better to have the limited freedom than a lockdown. And, many diners resonate that they are making up for their lost dining time. On the contrary few think masked expressions remove the personal touch out of the equation — ninety-three per cent of communication is non-verbal – a diner.
The question that continues to worry me is whether their neighborhood restaurant continues to exist in the meantime? Only time and numbers will tell!
