“It’s been a very unpredictable and stressful time. Easy to spiral downward. We’re trying our hardest to adapt, stay positive and safe, and do whatever we can to get through this. Luckily, Sara and I have a perfectly chubby little two and a half-month-old boy to help keep us motivated and focused.”

“Running a restaurant during Covid-19 is challenging to say the least. I’ve been working 7 days/week since March 16. We’re cooking for healthcare workers with Off Their Plate, an initiative I helped start and launch in 9 cities nationwide. My role has primarily been in restaurant partnerships as well as health and safety SOPs. Last week we started takeout/delivery again, and this week we launched PAGU market for our neighborhood to safely purchase their groceries. We’re running 3 different businesses under one roof, and we’ve hired back 7/35 employees. We only carpool; no public transportation. Everyone has to wear PPE, follow social distancing, take temperatures upon arrival and departure, and can only go to PAGU and home. We provide meals, groceries, anything they may need from the pharmacy. I feel fortunate to have my health during these times, and perhaps that is why I am compelled to do more than my share in this pandemic. I feel immense pressure to provide for my employees now more than ever, and so they can provide for their families as they are the sole breadwinners right now for their families near and far. I hope my own family and four month old daughter will forgive me for being away so many hours of the day, so many days of the week, but right now I think my PAGU family needs me more. We are grateful for our PAGU regulars showing up for takeout, for groceries, for a quick hello from the other side of the window, for our relief fund, for Off Their Plate, and emotionally, so much more. It’s powerful to feel loved right now, because that is what keeps us going. ”

“Keeping the machine moving is great for morale, and gives our staff purpose. We love to feed people and that is what we are trying to do. Operating in any capacity during this pandemic is a new challenge. And it’s a really fucking scary one.”

“We pivoted to retail very literally overnight as soon as Governor Baker signed the bill loosening our license restrictions. Bow Market also got super creative and started the Safe Supply outdoor market, which has been a huge help. But it’s been a battle. This isn’t our business model, and we don’t have the space or the systems we should have to run this kind of operation. Despite all of that, I’m so grateful for our community—we’re still here because of their support. This thing I worked my whole life to build, that I could have lost in the course of a few weeks, is still here. I’m still here. I’ve never worked so hard for so little in my life, but we’re still here. I’ll never forget all the love we’ve been shown. I’m throwing everyone the party of a lifetime when we can open again, whenever that is. ”

“In these unprecedented times, there was no path to follow. When restaurants were deemed “essential,” myself and my team took it very seriously. I felt a responsibility to continue to cook for our community for as long as we could as safely as possible. In a time of so much heartbreak and darkness, we try to bring a little bit of light. And on days when I feel overwhelmed or sad, I see people eating my food, or cooking my pasta and it brings me joy. ”

“As strange as it might seem, this pandemic has given me a lot of time to focus inward and take a moment to breathe. I lost irreplaceable people during this, and had moments of complete despair. Through that, I’ve come out feeling invigorated and confident about moving forward. This feeling of transition has carried through to work at Drink where we are looking at new ways to innovate what we do for our friends and community, starting with our bottled cocktail kits. I am passionate to adjust and work in a new way.”

“This is such a strange and challenging time in an Industry that is always hard. I try to approach each day with optimism and drive. I’ll do my best today and try not to worry about tomorrow.”

“In 20 years of business we have been through a lot, happy and sad experiences, success and failure. Still, obviously nothing can compare to this pandemic. From one day to the next we lost more than half of our business and we stayed open because we knew our employees needed us. Then we chose to remain open because we were afraid we wouldn’t reopen. Through these tiring and stressful three months we have learned that our 20 years in business prepared us by giving us one thing: resilience. In the days when we had zero sales, we turned to making food to donate across our city. When we ran through our savings, we asked for help we received support from people across the world. When we had an especially hard, sad day we were reminded by our long-time customers and our team that we’ve come so far and can get through this together. We have done “everything and anything to survive,” that’s our motto, and we want to help our industry friends survive as well. ”

“Reflecting on every layer that goes into running a restaurant... we need to peel them all back and make sure we understand each one’s struggle. So many farmers, butchers, fisherman, cheesemakers, brewers, wine producers, etc... every single one affected in their own way. So many steps that we’ve taken to carefully curate a restaurant... we need to retrace those steps and solve each one of their issues.”

“At Sofra, we are fighting to survive like everyone is in the hospitality industry. We have to stop and remember why we exist - to take care of people and make them happy. This is a time to mainly do that for ourselves and our Sofra team, who we feel so responsible for. Our industry is always up for a challenge. That, right now, is staying positive, starting over and being okay with the fact that the creativity you long for as a chef is simply not giving up!”

“I don’t think you open a business if you aren’t an optimist by nature. These past few months have definitely challenged that notion, but we’ve tried our best to approach this time as an opportunity. Not sure we ever expected to be packaging up our own hand sanitizer alongside barrels of our whiskey, but its been both exciting to learn a new business, and gratifying to make a product that is so badly needed. ”

“I guess most of my thoughts revolve around these questions: what else can a restaurant be? What more can a restaurant do? The world is so different now, and the best way to stay relevant is to make ourselves useful to people. And that’s why we’re focused on our community and what it needs. That’s why we’re raising money for under-the-radar businesses, delivering food to families in need, and selling grocery staples and takeout. Mei Mei has always had a privileged position — this doesn’t have to be all about money for us because we have some cushion, some safety net. The key is that we don’t squander it.”

“It is important to call attention: protesting is an effective and proven way to call attention to injustices not being addressed properly. If you were on a deserted island and needed help, what would you do? You would send out fire and smoke signals – that is what these protests are doing now – calling for attention and help.

When I opened MIDA three years ago, my mission was Community through Hospitality. It’s what I shared with my staff, with our guests, with anyone who would listen. I think we have a role to play on this street corner in Boston, where MIDA links the South End and Roxbury. It’s never been more important than right now.

We need to over-deliver; to go beyond people’s expectations. In my restaurant, in this community, across the nation. We need to overdeliver with positive action and generosity of spirit.

I am proud to be a chef and business owner in Boston. I am honored to be supported by this community. The feeling is mutual. I respect and honor my neighbors; that is the way it should be. We need solidarity, to be together, to come together, and to help one another.”

“We are riding a wave of uncertainty which some days is so daunting it’s immobilizing, but other days feels like a fresh start, a blank slate. How can we shift our perspective and see what good can come from this time. Can we come back with a stronger sense of community now that we feel how isolating it is to go without? Can we help lift each other up instead of put each other down? How do we heal ourselves and one another? ”

“I’m proud to say that we made a very quick pivot to an entirely different concept to stay profitable during this surreal time period. And even then, we’ve sustained significant financial losses. However, that’s not the part that really hurts. It’s not the part that is nearly as soul sucking as the sound of an empty dining room. A dining room devoid of voices laughing, voices in love, voices meeting for the first time, voices of any kind. When I’m able to once again hear voices coming from our dining room, tears will fill my eyes and joy will once again fill my heart.

Something I miss deeply is the artistry in our food. My entire team and I live for creating delicious, beautiful, and surprising dishes. The ability to work as a team to create a memorable moment for a diner fills us with feelings of satisfaction that are indescribable and profoundly soul quenching. These feelings have been taken from us by the Virus. Personally, I can’t wait to plate with ring molds and tweezer tongs again! Call it precious but, it’s a part of how I express myself. It’s part of who I am. Paper bags and take-away boxes are not.

One of the most difficult challenges has been anticipating the next State mandate and what it will entail. As chefs, we’re trained to face unpredictability with confidence and ingenuity. We should be able to pivot in any direction on a dime. But usually these pivots are in reaction to micro-changes that arise on a given day or during a service. The Virus has brought changes of an unprecedented magnitude and challenges that have shaken even the most stoic business owner. I remember a time when word would spread about a restaurant that had been shut down by DOH for a day, maybe two. We’d lower our heads in a moment of sympathy, all of us thinking quietly “How could they possibly weather a financial hit like that?” And now, here we are, numb after nearly two months of having our doors (mostly) shut. The time for head shaking has long passed and it’s all about the hustle now.”

“So much has changed at Vinal, like everywhere. When the virus was really prevalent, we were selling just packs of English muffins and pastries two days per week. That allowed us to always be working alone at the bakery (never with another teammate), and gave us time to clean and sanitize before another person entered the bakery. Towards the end of May when things started to feel a little safer we started adding sandwich and coffee service two days per week. We installed a takeout window to make it easier to serve guests. Before the takeout window we were asking guests to show ID through the window and we would place their order on a table outside. We haven’t let a guest into the bakery since March 13, and we have no plans to let anyone back in anytime soon. We miss them so much but it’s just not worth the risk for our team, or for our guests. We’re lucky that we are primarily a takeout business anyway.

Right now we are doing three days of service per week (Fri-Sun, 8:30am-12pm), and we will expand to Thurs-Sun, 8am-1pm on July 9. We have most of our team back. It is starting to feel like a new normal that has more soul. Working alone in the bakery during March and April was the hardest part - the bakery had lost all of its energy and soul. Having that return has felt really good. And the community has been amazing. We are still on a construction island in the middle of a pandemic but people show up. We are so grateful.

There have definitely been positive aspects during such a tough time. We celebrated our one year anniversary on April 19 in the middle of all of this. This environment has given us the opportunity to assess what’s working well as a business and what wasn’t. Having time for reflection at the one year mark is invaluable. We are definitely running more efficiently now and our shorter hours give us more time during the week to explore new ideas (stay tuned!). And the Vinal team has been amazing. Their commitment to Vinal and each other has been incredible, and they have stayed so flexible with the weekly changes. In a strange way, I have never felt more positive about the future of Vinal. ”

“This is definitely the most challenging period of time. I have been working 7 days a week since March to try to keep Momi Nonmi still in business. Doing takeout can only cover part of the expense. I really hope there is more help for restaurants from the State. Right now I am afraid with all the businesses reopening, the second COVID-19 wave may come along as well. Even though restaurants are open, how many will risk themselves to eat out again? Should I take my staff’s life at risk? I am trying to find the safest way to keep the business running. I am grateful that we have a lot of very supportive customers and hope everyone can be safe. At this moment we are working on how to operate with the highest safety standards and observing the progress after the reopening of all other businesses. We will announce our reopening day once we are ready. In the meantime please continue to support us by ordering takeout from Momi Nonmi.”

“Despite the chaos, suffering, uncertainties, and financial devastation during this pandemic, we’ve found that, above all, solidarity, love, humility and understanding have prevailed. We are grateful for all of this. We thank our loyal Celeste team, who stood with us through the darkest hours, and of course, we thank our faithful supporters who continued to bring a slice of celeste into their homes to keep us going. Our collaboration with Off Their Plate was crucial, as we proudly served over 8000 meals to our frontline heroes over the last few months, while keeping our crew gainfully employed.

Now, as we see the light at the end of the tunnel, we embrace the future full of excitement, multiplying our space into both indoors and outdoors, partitioning for safety, yet allowing the views and clarity of the space to remain. We embrace whatever comes our way, as we continue to learn in this very exciting project called celeste. Nothing has ever been straight-forward, or pre-determined, and it’s precisely this sense of exploration that has kept us going. We look forward to continuing to share what we may with our beautiful community, be that through food, music, art, or whatever is possible to bring us together.”