RI Food & Drink Biz Faces Winter Woes: “There Are No Answers Anywhere”

Like all businesses, newer food and drink establishments were knocked for a loop by COVID. In some cases, they had just begun to settle into their identities when they suddenly needed to change just about everything they were doing. Had they established a loyal following yet and would those folks stay during the hard times?

This latest edition of “The Rhode To Recovery: RI Food and Drink” focuses on the trials and tribulations of this group. Moderator David Dadekian has assembled a panel of newer business owners to discuss survival in the Coronavirus trenches.

Kim Anderson of Providence’s Plant City,  Michael Silva of web-based BĀS and MXR, and Jonathan Beres of  South Kingstown’s Tilly’s Cheesesteaks and North Kingstown’s Tilly’s Chick ‘N Biscuits relate the effects of COVID on their businesses and survival plans to weather the winter on the way to a hopefully brighter spring 2021.

The panel agrees that more government intervention is needed for actual survival through the winter. “In the beginning with the CARES Act, that was good,” Beres points out, “but we need somebody now to take control of that.”

They also agree the warm fall was helpful for business, but Kim Anderson suggests that, with winter approaching, “it’s going to get really, really hard really, really fast, and I am sorry to say I think there’s going to be a lot of restaurants that go out. And that’s really sad.”

The Rhode to Recovery: RI Food and Drink series can be seen on YurView.com, YurView YouTube and on Cox channel 4 in Rhode Island Wednesdays 9pm and Saturdays 2pm.