How the Pandemic Affected Restaurants and Cafes

 

Cafes are Booming and Coffee Drinkers Can’t Stop 

*This is part of our series on the nexus between COVID-19 and food systems.

The exquisite skill in perfecting latte art comes with practice. These little details are the cherry on top for a coffee. 

 

I stepped into the café for my final interview. I didn’t know much about them other than a good friend of mine held her wedding at one of their locations the summer before. Thankfully, I did a quick Google search to learn some more insight. I was met with a friendly barista who directed me to the interviewers, nestled into the corner table away from all the other customers dining in. I sat down without shaking their hands, mask stayed on and thanked them for the opportunity to meet in person as the previous interview was via Zoom. The interview was short; 10 minutes tops. With my luck and charm, I received the offer letter the following morning. 

 

Upon starting this new role as Café Manager, I was well aware many establishments were struggling. Even this company was struggling as a whole in both e-commerce and café. I trained at a location where sales were depleted by more than 50%. It was difficult to learn anything when there was no foot traffic. But, what I didn't see coming was that the café I was taking over had another idea in mind. Luckily, the following week I had the chance to work at the flagship store; the most profitable café in the entire company. 

 

It was fall 2020, the busiest season of the year. Students were moving back for a new term at the local university, weather was absolutely beautiful and pandemic restrictions were slightly lifted in Ontario. People were able to dine in or out on the patio, washrooms were opened, drinks were served in ceramic mugs, and lastly, it was pumpkin spiced season. As the sun was still shining bright before daylight savings hits at the end of October, people were taking advantage. My first goal was to get comfortable with the café, then figure out logistics afterwards. It didn’t take long; I started to get to know the regulars by name and their drinks. As the line-ups kept growing and people were happy chatting away, there was still that feeling of uncertainty and worry. Tables were 2 meters apart and people in queue were also 2 meters apart, along with every customer wearing masks. If there wasn’t a yellow-tape square on the floor for you to stand in, you’d be lining up outside. Through muffled masks and plexiglass barriers, people walked through our doors to place their order. Although things didn’t look or feel normal, it wasn’t stopping the coffee drinkers from coming. Everyday there were dozens of regulars with specific drinks and modifications. We had Doug’s two decaf americanos with steamed oat milk. Kevin’s iced mocha with no ice (seriously, who does that?). Ryan’s large cup triple shot americano along with his wife’s order (whom we still have yet to meet) of a large triple shot latte with two raw sugars and sprinkles of cocoa and cinnamon on top. These were the people you saw every single day. 

 

 

Steaming milk to look silky and velvety is an art itself.

Overtime, we had noticed people itching to get into a proper routine, whether it was to grab their double espressos at 7:30 in the morning, or a warm chai latte to finish the day. The interactions had also increased; regulars would start sharing tables if there were no seats available. They got to know each other over coffee, or while they worked, heads deep into their laptops. Many unfamiliar faces passed through too; the explorers, we called them. They were the out-of-towners who travel to hike new trails or discover new cities. Some explorers became residents of the city, since moving out of the big city was becoming more popular. With the local university minutes away, the storm of students would pile in to claim their study spot, knowing they had to continue to purchase a beverage or snack every half hour or so. The seat real estate is a hot market, especially if you have an elderly walk through just wanting to sit by the window, with their black coffee, enjoying an oatmeal raisin cookie. That’s the cue for the students to pack up and move along. 

 

Winter was a tough season for business. Ontario was in their second lockdown, the longest one of them all. Many businesses were closed but since cafes are considered essential, this café was up and running. Sales had plummeted, students had stopped coming and we saw less explorers. The business was banking on the regulars to come in and they did not disappoint. Mother Nature could call for 20cm of snow with a windchill of -25 degrees Celsius and you’d still see Tim trek through that storm, covered in white fluffy snow, wearing his grey beret and brown leather gloves (both items in which he always misplaces), in his Scottish accent asking for his coffee. All you could do was smile and gladly serve him. 

 

Fast forward to fall 2021; another pumpkin spiced season and another autumn of warm weather. This time around, the café had extended their hours into the early evenings and seating capacity was maxed. There no longer is yellow tape on the ground and everyone is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was a record breaking month for the café. Our café was doing 17% more sales compared to 2019, pre pandemic. These were astounding numbers as no one predicted this happening. But as a business, we’ll take what we can get. 

 

To this day, we still see Doug, Kevin and Ryan. And out of the three, Doug has changed his order to two medium decaf mochas with almond milk, half the sweetness to top it off. The other two are still enjoying the same drink everyday. Let’s not forget about Tim; he’s still around too. 

 

Linden Ngo

Café Manager & Guest Contributor

ECVOntario