00:00After COVID-19, the restaurant industry is not going to look the same at all.
00:07It was a huge blow to the whole restaurant industry when we heard that all dining rooms were going to
00:14be shut down.
00:15We're always adapting to changes. We're always adapting to new consumer demand, new trends, weather patterns, shortages, all these things.
00:24So hopefully that this is something that is only going to make us stronger.
00:27I'm Eleanor, and I'm here with Refinery29. I'm still working during the COVID-19 pandemic.
00:33I work at Casilla, which is a Southeast Asian restaurant in Santa Monica, California.
00:39I started working at Casilla three years ago as a line cook, and I've been a sous chef there for
00:44the last two years.
00:45I oversee all of the daily operations in the kitchen of the restaurant, as well as preparing and cooking the
00:52food.
00:52I'm also making sure that all of the preparation of the food goes accordingly, that service goes smoothly, and that
00:59everybody's happy.
00:59And I'm also doing the ordering and inventory every day.
01:05It feels weird being considered on the front lines during this pandemic, but I'm glad that we are able to
01:11stay open and stay strong for all of our employees and other restaurants while we all struggle through this pandemic.
01:18The restaurant industry actually provides about 15 million jobs in the U.S.
01:25Unfortunately, a lot of the restaurants haven't been so lucky, so we feel grateful and proud to still be here
01:33and hope that we can help other restaurants and help all of our employees still have jobs and a good
01:39livelihood when they come back.
01:41Continuing to work is important for me because as long as we can stay open and have enough orders and
01:49keep ourselves afloat until we are able to open our dining room again,
01:54then all of our employees will still be able to retain their benefits and have a job when they come
02:00back, which is something that I hope that we can give to everybody.
02:03Customers are thanking us for being open. We have a lot of regulars that come to the restaurant that have
02:09been ordering food and buying gift cards and just checking in on us to make sure that we're still alive
02:16and well, which is really nice.
02:18And we know that we'll have their support when we reopen our doors.
02:22Most restaurants, about two thirds of restaurants are small, independently owned businesses and working in the restaurant industry is very
02:31difficult to begin with.
02:33Usually the margins are razor thin and a lot of restaurants don't have large investors or reserves that they can
02:42use during months of being closed.
02:45So a lot of these restaurants are actually not going to be able to open after this is over, which
02:52is a huge tragedy, not just in the United States, but in Los Angeles, particularly because there are so many
03:00small immigrant owned restaurants that aren't going to make it out of this situation.
03:07And those are the people that are bringing the culture and flavor to Los Angeles, and it's really heartbreaking to
03:14see those of us that are open are in constant communication and we're sharing packaging supplies or masks or whatever
03:23it may be between all of the restaurants, making sure that we're all doing okay.
03:28During this time, I've been coping by taking a lot of time to myself and catching up on some of
03:35my self-care and I've also been catching up with a lot of family and friends and it feels really
03:40great to connect with them.
03:42Coping with the stress of a completely different world is changing on a daily basis.
03:48I feel differently pretty much every single day.
03:52Some days are much harder than others, but I try to look at each day as a fresh start and
03:58to know that this isn't permanent.
04:01So that's really what's keeping me going right now.
04:03For someone that is working right now, I feel so grateful to be employed and to have a source of
04:12income.
04:12Transitioning from dine-in to only to-go orders has been a huge change.
04:18Our restaurant is pretty large and has a large menu and we've had to completely scale down that menu to
04:26less than 50% of the items.
04:28All restaurants are required to uphold a certain public health standard.
04:34So increasing that has added some extra steps to our system.
04:39Everybody is wearing face masks.
04:41Everybody is wearing gloves at all times.
04:44And pretty much everything is single-use only.
04:48We went from a staff of about 80 employees to about 10.
04:53We're also experiencing a lot of shortages and difficulties with getting produce.
05:00A lot of our farmers and purveyors to the restaurant are also struggling as well.
05:05One of our produce purveyors told us that they've lost about 90% of their business,
05:10which means that about 90% of their restaurants are no longer ordering food from this farm.
05:15So it's heartbreaking to know that not only is it affecting us,
05:19but it's affecting all of the farmers and fishermen and people that provide us with food as well.
05:25In these times when it can seem dark and different, I want to be able to be a source of
05:32lightness.
05:32I've never been called a hero before and, you know, it's hard to really consider myself a hero
05:38when there are people who are working in the medical field and saving lives.
05:45While I do feel that I am helping create a sense of normalcy and a sense of happiness,
05:52I wouldn't consider myself a hero.
05:55I'm looking forward to opening the restaurant and having people come in
05:59and be able to celebrate and be able to gather with their friends and family.
06:04My whole team that I'm working with right now really brings a smile to my day.
06:09Everybody shows up ready to work and, you know, ready to do whatever is necessary
06:14to make sure that we stay open and make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible.
06:19And just knowing that we're all in this together and that we're all supporting each other equally
06:24just really makes it important for us all to show up for each other.
06:27For people that are working at home and continue to have a source of income,
06:33I would encourage you to support your small businesses and support your mom and pop shops
06:39if they're still open and to really just make sure that these businesses are doing okay
06:44so that they will be able to reopen.
06:47Food is definitely a necessity and I'm glad that we're still able to provide people with food
06:53that they enjoy and that brings them comfort so that we can all reconnect when this is over.
06:59Providing food for the public is essential.
07:02I'm doing my part.
