Resilient Seattle restaurants ready to serve again

By Janice Nesamani
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEK

Japanese Home Cooking from Maneki Restaurant (Photo from Maneki Restaurant’s Instagram)

Wednesday June 30th couldn’t have come earlier for Washington State! Not only has it given us some respite from the scorching 100-degree temperature days that we almost melted through, but it also brings us one step closer to normal post-Covid-19 life.

Governor Jay Inslee announced in May that our state could lift most of its Covid-related business restrictions on June 30th. This means that your favorite restaurant is now open to full capacity, you don’t have to stay more than six feet from other diners and, once vaccinated, you can say goodbye to face masks.

For more than a year, Seattle restaurants have been few and far between as state and health officials sought to tame the pandemic. Restaurant owners have had to shut down, operate only take-out, lay off staff and get creative to keep their businesses alive.

Maneki shop window (photo by John Liu)

Take the 116-year-old Japanese restaurant Maneki, for example. During the pandemic, Maneki was forced to close but was given a new life. Donations from patrons flowed in to keep the institution afloat.

Overwhelmed with the love and support, Nakayama decided to operate takeout only and launched a website, manekiseattle.com, where customers can place their orders online. The restaurant has learned many lessons from the pandemic. For Nakayama, two stand out.

“First, our ability to be highly adaptable in an industry that can so easily be created or destroyed without sustainable financial stability,” said Nakayama. Second, don’t underestimate the compassion and charity of our community. We are grateful for all the care and support in our time of need, ”she said.

Having never offered a take away service in the history of the restaurant, Nakayama saw this as an opportunity for Maneki to continue doing something that her customers would like. Given the small size of the kitchen, the restaurant is working on the details of how to maintain its outstanding dining experience while also offering convenient take-away options.

“We may need to ask for some patience while we decide what to offer,” said Nakayama, indicating what her take-away meal might include.

Over the past year, Maneki has had to cut staff and hours, and some of their seasoned workers have had to find additional work elsewhere to make ends meet. With restaurants reopening, Maneki is cautious.

“Our approach will be a slower reopening as the staff is limited so as not to overwhelm our chefs,” said Nakayama. She affirms that hiring in the service industry is challenging in an area where everyone is competing for the same talent and looking for new successors.

“We hope to attract passionate applicants who want to be part of the Maneki community and heritage,” she said.

However, it was not quiet in the restaurant during this time. A $ 45,000 investment from Puget Sound Energy has made the restaurant more energy efficient with better lighting and energy efficient appliances.

Dimmable light in the tatami room and a walk through Maneki’s story in pictures await the guests when they finally get a table in the restaurant.

“In all honesty, we are still concerned about our elders,” said Nakayama. “We know that progress is being made and we look forward to seeing that smile again soon in our tatami rooms.”

Showcase of the Ho Ho Seafood Restaurant (Photo by Assunta Ng)

“Covid hit us deeply,” said Vivian Xiao, the owner of the Ho Ho Seafood Restaurant. “We had so few customers because everyone was afraid to go out to eat. Then it got very expensive during the pandemic. If customers come without a mask, we will provide one. The mask prices have risen. It costs more than $ 1 each. We have to serve our customers with plastic gloves that cost up to $ 20 for a pack of 100. This does not include the increased food prices or the prices for to-go boxes. “

Ho Ho reopened on June 30th and the restaurant is encouraging customers to wear masks for the safety of all.

Tai Tung Team (Photo courtesy of Tai Tung Restaurant)

Anyone who has missed Harry Chan’s inviting face behind the counter, read the handwritten specials in the mirror or just ordered his favorite dish in the Tai Tung Restaurant can soon go back inside and pretend the pandemic had never happened.

“We didn’t have to lay off any of our employees due to the pandemic,” said Chan. Instead, the restaurant reduced its opening hours when it crashed last year. This will save Chan the hassle of looking for new employees in a job market where it has become very difficult to find good people.

When things reopen, Chan expects the business to return at 70-80% of its pre-pandemic value.

“I think people will still be a little hesitant to come out and have dinner, but we always hope for the best,” he said.

Slow business forced Jade Garden to step up its delivery game during the pandemic. Eric Chan, whose family owns the restaurant, has made deliveries all the way to Factoria to deliver dumplings to customers on the Eastside. To make matters worse, the restaurant was destroyed and broken into twice in 2020.

Failed to see their favorite restaurant boarded up, wall painters covered the boards with art, sparking a movement where other artists covered boarded windows throughout the International District with messages of hope and solidarity that became a sign of community at a particularly tough time and resilience have become time.

The pandemic changed a lot of things for Jade Garden, but Chan said, “We’ll be here and do what we’ve always done – serve the people like we always have.”

Janice can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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