How the pandemic altered the relationship between Philly restaurants and diners

Part 2 of a two-part series.

Whether they know it or not, several Philadelphia restaurants got some promising news last week: The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill that would replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund — and the Senate is due to consider a similar measure later this month.

“We’re just asking Congress to finish what they started,” said Wilmington-based chef Tyler Akin in an April 7 conference call featuring a number of U.S. representatives who had voted for the bill.

Akin is among 177,000 restaurateurs that successfully applied for RRF grants that went unfunded because the initial $28.6 billion pot ran out in just weeks. He also sits on the board of the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC), an organization formed in March 2020 to advocate for neighborhood bars and restaurants, which traditionally have not had a voice in legislation.

The coalition was instrumental in the RRF’s creation. Though flawed, the federal grant program was a lifeline to 101,000 businesses. If the Senate votes to provide another $40 billion in relief to restaurants, it will mark another major success for the trade group, but that won’t be the end of its work.

“The IRC isn’t going anywhere,” Akin said. “Whether it’s the Farm Bill coming up next year for renewal or issues like immigration, health care, even more practical initiatives around developing a labor force that can support the size of our part of the sector — we’re going to be active and we’re going to maintain a voice on Capitol Hill.”

Advocacy at a national level is one gain the restaurant industry made in the past two years, but it’s not the only one. In the second of a two-part series, The Inquirer examines how the pandemic changed Philly’s restaurants.

A consistent presence on social media has been important for restaurants for years, but when the coronavirus upended daily life, it became essential. Suddenly, Instagram and Facebook pages were the clearinghouse for basic information — takeout specials, new hours, sudden closings — that websites and Google weren’t nimble enough to handle.

» READ MORE: What kitchen tool is coming to restaurants’ rescue? Instagram.

The tenor of restaurants’ social media posts has changed, too, said hospitality consultant Liz Einhorn. Pre-pandemic, ”a lot of it was more show and tell,” she said, restaurants showcasing dishes and enticing customers. Now, “there’s more transparent conversations about challenges they’re facing.” Social media is a platform for restaurant owners to communicate the reasoning behind price increases, service fees, longer waits, and other changes to policy or service.

Einhorn cites Middle Child Clubhouse as an example. The all-day bar/restaurant has maintained a requirement that its customers show proof of vaccination even after the city’s mandate lapsed, and it’s used Instagram to remind patrons why (staff chose to).

Social media’s role wasn’t enhanced for restaurants alone, Einhorn added. Customers have turned to it not only to find new things to try — she points to Mission Taqueria’s Movie Night takeout kit and chef Jen Carroll’s virtual cooking classes — but also to express their support and enthusiasm for Philly’s food scene.

Diners also took to social media to figure out which restaurants reflected their values. Kensington resident Kellie Goldberg clearly remembers seeing a post from Juana Tamale chef Jennifer Zavala that struck back at a customer’s complaint about high prices, a necessity for offering employees benefits.

“I thought that was really interesting,” Goldberg said. “People are coming into these places, complaining that the taco prices are too high, and the consequence of that is like, somebody gets a paid vacation day or health benefits. That seems like a fair deal to me.”

Goldberg said her awareness of service-industry workers’ challenges has increased during the last two years, and she wants to support businesses that treat their employees well. She cites the Lunar Inn, Middle Child, Love City Brewing, and Martha as examples.

“They’ve been very transparent about adding a service charge and paying their employees living wages and benefits, and then also being more careful about closing due to exposures to protect their workforce,” she said. “They’re definitely businesses that I’ve been more interested in supporting.”

The pandemic induced many changes to restaurants, but their shift to all-weather outdoor dining was arguably the most noticeable. It started lean, with roped-off parking spots and a few heaters, and then it got complex: HVAC-equipped outdoor dining chalets sprung up in Rittenhouse and beyond. Even underground dive bars sat their customers outside.

In warmer weather, road closures in the city and suburbs gave downtown areas a street-festival feel every weekend (in some cases, every day). Though sidewalk tables and streeteries have their perils — especially for people with disabilities — they are a boon for many customers. They created a new kind of buzz.

“When I see people outside enjoying food and being able to participate in the social rituals that we lost for a little while, I want to be there. I want to take people there. ... It feels very welcoming to me in a way that wasn’t there before,” said Fishtown resident Ned Drummond, who moved from Washington to Philadelphia in October 2020. They quickly found themselves gravitating toward closed-off areas along Second Street in Northern Liberties, Old City, and Headhouse Square.

“In the space of two cars you can fit four or five tables that can fit four-plus people each,” Drummond said. “That completely changes the face of a street or a neighborhood.”

It’s not yet clear whether the city will continue to embrace this change. New rules and regulations have created political and financial hurdles to approval, and the 1500 block of Sansom Street recently reopened to traffic, sidelining an outdoor-dining hot spot.

If Philly bids farewell to its many streeteries, it won’t be the only loss: Takeout cocktails fell victim to political gridlock in Harrisburg. Likewise, some early pivots — fancy takeout specials, wholesalers delivering to homes — ended as daily life edged closer to normalcy.

But some pandemic perks remain, including access to high-quality groceries, said Robert Amar, a restaurant purveyor who went retail with Small World Seafood. Even as restaurants have reopened, he’s seen his client base grow — up 18% year to date. Check averages have climbed, too, as customers start entertaining guests at home. He attributes the increases to the rising cost of dining out.

A customer recently emailed him about walking by a restaurant with a $17 burrito on its menu. “I guess Elon Musk gets his burritos there,” they wrote. “I’m glad you sell restaurant-quality food that regular humans can afford.”

Amar sells an ever-changing array of fresh fish — Hokkaido scallops, Faroe Island salmon, Dungeness crab clusters — and accoutrements like uni butter from Bibou chef Pierre Calmels, with weekly pickups at various locations. His customers are getting other groceries delivered from Reading Terminal Market vendors like Iovine’s and Martin’s Sausage, he said, or even from D’Artagnan, a premier restaurant supplier.

“Whether it’s through farmers markets or people like us or whatever, they’re getting the restaurant-quality stuff,” Amar said. “They have access to it and they never did before. That’s kind of a cool thing.”