How long can take-out only service sustain Horry County’s local restaurants?
An anonymous donor gave $5,000 to Roland Sciotto, owner of Bistro 90 and Aspen Grill, to help the restaurant get through the coronavirus economic downturn and restrictions on restaurants.
The donation, accompanied by an outpouring of community support, gift card purchases and takeout orders, is helping Sciotto through a tough time. But the window for how long his restaurants can stay open and employ more than 40 people is closing as takeout-only hasn’t produced the revenue needed to operate.
At Aspen Grille, an upscale restaurant in Myrtle Beach, Sciotto is only doing 7 percent of his normal business and will probably have to close at the end of the week. Bistro 90, located off S.C. Highway 90 in Longs, is doing much better, which Sciotto attributes to the loyal local crowd but even it cannot sustain operations long into April.
“It’s us trying to survive and clients helping us survive. It’s the community coming together,” Sciotto said.
All restaurants in South Carolina were required to close their dining rooms last week to avoid spreading the coronavirus. Takeout and delivery became the only options to continue service.
Local governments relaxed tent and signage laws to help businesses, Gov. Henry McMaster loosened alcohol laws and online delivery services dropped delivery fees. But the measures will not be enough to keep businesses afloat much longer through the pandemic.
Coronavirus is highly infectious and even with limited testing, the confirmed cases total for South Carolina is growing exponentially. Too many cases will overload hospitals that are already short on supplies.
The Grind in Loris has a drive-thru window that has helped with the takeout-only business, and it is helping them attract customers who don’t want to leave their cars to get food.
Staying open allows for the community to have a place to go and for restaurant employees to draw a paycheck for as long as they can, said John Sedlak is the owner of The Grind.
“I know for a fact that businesses without a drive-thru are struggling more than others,” Sedlak said. “We’re just trying to stay open so the community has somewhere to go eat and provide a little sense of normalcy.”
The Crafty Rooster in Conway decided to stay open for takeout following McMaster’s decision to shut down dining rooms to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Patrons can still get the full menu, beer and alcohol can be taken to-go and employees are still drawing a paycheck. Customer traffic has been good, Crafty Rooster Owner Sean Kobos said, and the alcohol sales have been great.
Kobos is worried about his employees and making sure they have supplies through pandemic. The tips have been “above average” and shows how much the community values the Crafty Rooster.
“We’ve been pleasantly surprised with the traffic, but it’s way down,” Kobos said. “Is it sustainable? No. But at least we are stopping the bleeding a little bit.”
Kobos would like to see the local government and banks create a program like a short-term loan system to help businesses recover from the lost income.
Sciotto worries that when the social distancing measures are lifted, many restaurants will not have the cash to reopen. He said the community support has been great, but if the federal government is going to provide relief, it needs to happen soon.
“I have 44 employees in two locations who have bills to pay, children and parents to take care of. This isn’t an industry where people have years saved up. It’s a struggle for a lot of employees,” Sciotto said. “If they’re going to do a stimulus package, they need to get on it.”
