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Date: 12/16/2021
EAST LONGMEADOW – In the basement kitchen of Center Square Grill, owner William Collins dipped a ladle into an enormous pot and handed it to state Sen. Eric Lesser. The two sipped steaming hot French Onion soup while discussing labor and supply challenges.
The stop at the restaurant was part of a small business tour in five towns. Lesser and Grace Barone, executive director of East of the River Chamber of Commerce (ERC5) visited Vanished Valley Brewing in Ludlow, The Scented Garden Gift Shoppe in Wilbraham, Rosewood Home & Gifts in Hampden, Pete’s Sweets and Center Square Grill in East Longmeadow and The Longmeadow Shops.
Lesser mentioned that restaurants in downtown Boston are still largely empty and asked Collins whether people have returned to the dining-in experience. Collins told him that many customers had. “I think after two years locked away, people want to come out,” Collins said.
That said, Executive Chef Fredy Carballo said that takeout and catering are still a lot of the restaurant’s business. The restaurant caters weddings and events from Vermont to Connecticut. Collins told Lesser he was planning to renovate part of the dining room and the downstairs kitchen to provide more room for prep work and catering.
Staffing
Despite Center Square Grill doing more business than in the past, Collins said it is not as profitable because of costs associated with supply chains and staffing.
Last Year, Collins erected “bubbles” - heated metal structures with transparent plastic walls which allowed customers to eat outdoors through the fall. This year, Collins told Lesser, he did not put out the bubbles because it requires extra staff to serve the patio.
Collins said that he was having trouble, “getting people back into those jobs.” He opined that baby boomers that may be immunocompromised will not be rejoining the workforce. Many of his employees have changed careers or moved to larger corporations that can offer benefits at better rates than he can as a small business.
Lesser noted that Amazon has hired 950,000 workers since the start of the pandemic. He later told Reminder Publishing, “There’s been some big shifts in the type of work,” people are doing. He gave examples of restaurants competing for workers with Amazon and trucking companies competing with Walmart. Lesser said, “There’s a whole competition that wasn’t there before.”
The legislator also pointed to childcare issues. “As someone with a young family,” he said, “the limitations of childcare have made it harder for working families.” He said there are new provisions and regulations that affect cost and the workforce.
Balancing Act
Collins spoke about how pandemic safety created challenges for his business, as well. While he requires his staff to wear masks and most of them are vaccinated against COVID-19, he said enforcing a mandate would be difficult because he does not have people to hire if someone leaves due to their vaccination status.
“I’ve got to stay open,” Collins said, describing the balancing act between keeping customers comfortable and staff healthy while not losing employees.
Lesser addressed Collins and Carballo and said of the restaurant business, “You guys went through hell. You’ve bounced back. It’s amazing.” Collins gave his staff credit for their success in the face of the pandemic.
Supply Chains
Rising ingredient costs have also hit the restaurant business hard. Some seafood and beef have more than doubled in price since 2019, Collins said.
Adding to existing supply chain issues, Collins said the tornadoes that struck Kentucky and five other states on Dec. 10 destroyed a chicken hatchery. He expects the price of chicken to rise as a result.
Buying local helps to source some of the products that Center Square Grill needs. “It’s all about where you buy them,” Collins said, showing Lesser a scallop that had been purchased that morning. He said Cold Harbor Seafood & Market in Enfield, CT. and Big Y at Fresh Acres in Springfield provide good quality seafood.
“The only way to survive right now is with mass purchases. It’s a different way of doing business,” Collins said.