LEONARDTOWN, Md. — It’s a May evening, the sun is setting and it’s 72 degrees out. Some might call it the perfect night to wander around the Leonardtown Square and have a great night out with friends and family. Granted that isn’t quite the weather forecast for May 29, but new restrictions have been lifted across the state, making for a better night out.
At his May 27 press conference, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan[R] announced that in moving forward with plans to gradually reopen The Old Line State in the midst of a slowing pandemic, outdoor dining would be allowed to resume on May 29 at 5 p.m.
Restaurants, such as The Front Porch in Leonardtown, have found some comfort in returning to one of the core foundations of their business model: serving customers the best possible experience on their expanded and socially-distanced outdoor dining spaces.
But this new comfort has only come after months of crippling changes that will have lasting impacts on small business owners, including The Front Porch’s Owner Jeff Lewis.
“I think the only word is devastating,” Lewis explained. “March we’re probably down around 40% in total sales. April we’re probably down about the same and May it’s probably more like 65%… Do you know what it’s like to work 100 hours a week and not make any money? And I did it, like I put my time in and I’m a self-made restaurateur. Nobody gave me a restaurant, I worked my ass off to get to where I was. I got the opportunity to buy this place and I worked 120 hour weeks for 10 years to get to where I am. I’ve only owned this place for two years. I’m building it and then this happens…
It’s not a setback, it’s a f****** kick in the ass.”
Lewis, who had started getting ready to reopen outdoor dining two weeks ago when he was misinformed that restrictions could have been lifted, spent a portion of his son’s birthday on May 28 getting ready for a day he hopes will help “put food on his table.” This follows what he estimates is a loss of nearly $100,000 in revenue over the past month.
“How do you look a five-year-old in the eyes and say, ‘I’m sorry buddy, I can’t hang out with you for the next like three months’ because I have to go to work and lose money,” Lewis asked. “We’ve changed how we do business entirely… Nothing we’ve done up to this point matters. None of your policies and procedures, none of your habits, you have to reinvent the entire wheel. Just start it all over again, and at every turn that the government decides whether or not you’re allowed to do something, [I’m] spending a night awake for 10 hours rethinking the plan. So some poor lady doesn’t come in here and tell me that her steak was cold, gives me a crap review, and then I can’t put braces on my kid’s teeth.”
While businesses are being closed across the country left and right, such as Smokey Joe’s on the Town just up the street who announced their permanent closure back on April 15, Lewis has shifted his focus towards taking care of his work family, knowing that they help take care of the business by serving on the front lines.
And his team has noticed.
“I’ve seen this company come together very strongly,” bartender Chase Leamy said. “One of the things that happened early on was, Jeff got two cases of toilet paper and paper towels and he said ‘I don’t want anyone worried about that. If you need it, it’s up here.’ That’s one of those little things that had a big impact. Especially with the employees, it’s something that [we] took very much to heart. This company is stepping up to make sure that we’re all taken care of and if there’s anything we need, we have it here. Same with any kind of cleaning supplies… And you know, is everyone alright? Does anyone need to take some food home tonight? Is everyone doing alright on their bills? I mean, we definitely came together as a family here and not just from the outpouring of support from the community, but also internally.”
Supply chain disruptions, daily business model modifications, and a plethora of other problems have plagued “The Porch.” But the steps now being taken towards reopening Maryland businesses have Lewis and many others excited and ready for what is coming.
“To all of the public out there, I am in business to make money. As much of it as I possibly can, make no mistake about what my frickin’ goal is,” Lewis explained. “Have I made money in the past? Hell yeah. But I work my butt off to get it. And you want to be allotted that same opportunity, and that’s America… In the next couple of months, I might start to get paid. So I hope everybody enjoyed their vacation, but I’d like to get paid again… Because when I make money, all my people make money.”
Fighting the “invisible enemy” has been a struggle many restaurants and small businesses have all faced over the past couple of months. The Front Porch has been forced to develop new systems for ensuring customer safety when they inevitably fill up their limited outdoor seating, but even getting people to show up has created a new battle.
SOURCE: Facebook/The Front Porch
What used to be first-come-first-serve seating, is now the only option, and it is strictly by reservation. However, the staff is grateful that they can get back to serving up their more traditional dining experience which includes “filling your lemonade,” as Leamy put it.
“I’m not mad at anyone. It’s nobody’s fault that this happened,” Lewis said. “It’s just the cards we all got dealt. Some of us got dealt a worse deck of cards. Now, I personally think I got one of the worst hands, but I’ll play my hand. I always have, and I’ll play it to the best of my ability…
But at this point, if we are turning the corner, and if there is light at the end of the tunnel, I could use an ace card… I need the ability to make a living.”
Contact Zach at zach.hill@thebaynet.com