| Times Herald-Record
Anthony Cascarino had never served burgers and steak at his Pizzeria before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and shut down hundreds of restaurants in the region.
So, he adapted.
“Whereas a lot of local businesses were closed down at the time, we added on some items that they (customers) might have gotten from other restaurants,” said Cascarino, owner of Cascarino’s Pizzeria and Ristorante of Montgomery that has remained open throughout the past months.
While supplies of the many ingredients that he normally imports from Italy have come to a halt and a shortage of chicken and ground beef disrupts his planning, Cascarino has updated his menu with a broad variety of options. The way he makes it work, he said, is by finding distributors that have a stock of foods that should have been delivered to the restaurants now closed.
Adapting to change
As supply chain disruption continues during the COVID-19 pandemic, local restaurants and food service providers are adapting menus and taking a hard look at the way they manage inventory and serve customers.
Randi Greene, director of the Business Council of Greater Montgomery, said the changing supply chains have reshaped the local food service industry. She has seen rotating shortages of chicken, eggs, beef and flour throughout the pandemic and many restaurants and food service providers have reevaluated their menus and customer base. In an industry of traditionally tight profit margins with a capacity restriction in place, some have stopped serving certain dishes, some started offering specials, some eliminated lunch hours, and some have gone out of business.
“It’s all about managing the hemorrhage. Everyone is hemorrhaging money, it’s just about controlling the bleeding,” Greene said. “We all learned a very big lesson about what to do when everything is being fluid. We had to go and think about different places to get what we needed and different ways to make what we wanted. Everyone is on their toes a little bit about what’s going to happen and being prepared.”
Greene said the supply chain disruption is likely connected to a whole chain reaction. When the meat plants were shut down, farmers ended up getting rid of some cattle because they could not afford to keep feeding them. Then when the plants reopened, they did not have the animals available for processing.
“While certain stuff has come back in stock, the fear is still there,” Greene said. “Our cost goes up because more steps are added into our process. When all those costs go up we have to raise our pricing and everybody is very financially aware right now. But there are so many added extra steps and our cost going up, what are we gonna do?”
Kristen Brown, who runs a farm in the Town of Montgomery, said some local slaughterhouses’ calendars were booked into 2021 due to a backlog because of closures as a result of COVID-19. Farmers would face financial losses if some animals like pigs and poultry cannot be processed on time.
“It’s very surprising to see that these plants are still backed up through the winter,” Brown said.
Beyond the meal
The supply chain changes are not only affecting ingredients, but food containers and to-go bags as carryout services are spiking. Some supplies that are normally delivered three or four times a week now are available only once a week. Cascarino has purchased more products and invested in a shed for storage.
“Before the pandemic we would know about a week in advance what that week would be, now we have to pinpoint exactly on a daily basis,” Cascarino said. “I have to go around and find top quality ingredients and plastic containers.”
Brian Pskowski, owner of Ward’s Bridge Inn, a restaurant that has been around for 16 years, said even though the supply chain changes did not significantly affect his business, he reduced hours and inventory during the shutdown. He also shortened his menu through keeping best selling items and eliminating some unpopular items. Many of his ingredients, he said, are sourced locally.
The major concern he has at this point is whether and when he can get back to full capacity. He has to turn business away on weekends, he said. The uncertainty makes it hard to forecast the future and think about growth or expansion.
“Right now you’re sort of in surviving mode,” Pskowski said. “I can’t say enough about our local community. What I do is listen to my customers’ requests and needs whether it’s about a certain item or a certain price point. I really try to give my customers an assortment of dishes with an assortment of price points.”
While the business owners are grappling with supply chain and business management changes, they say they are grateful for the support of the local community and politicians who are advocating for small businesses. For them, local clientele is key to help them get through the uncertain time.
“We have a strong community and everybody has stuck together pretty well every day for the past seven months. I’m hoping the community will continue to help each other out,” Cascarino said.
