Restaurants across the city could lose millions as result of huge snowstorm, but some plan to stay open as they weather the storm.<\/b>
\nRestaurateurs around the city are making game plans on how to handle the possibility of 20 inches of snow falling on Philly this weekend, potentially impacting service well into early next week.
\u201cIt\u2019s devastating for most restaurants,\u201d said Ben Fileccia, senior vice president of strategy and engagement for the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association. \u201cI would anticipate revenue loss of tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars for Philadelphia restaurants over the next few days.\u201d
For smaller restaurants, Fileccia estimated the impact could be around $5,000 a day, while larger spaces could suffer a daily hit of up to $20,000.
The storm, which falls right in the middle of Center City District Restaurant Week, could be the biggest blizzard the city\u2019s seen in a decade or more.
Just the idea of snow can make diners hesitant.
\u201cIt\u2019s been over 10 years since we\u2019ve had this much snow predicted,\u201d Fileccia said. \u201cEven a forecast of a couple inches \u2014 immediately makes people cancel their reservations.\u201d
Kareem McCafferty, president of The Schulson Collective, which oversees restaurants including Alpen Rose, Double Knot and Via Locusta, said that the restaurant group will be monitoring the weather over the weekend.
Closing down is not out of the question. Ultimately, McCafferty said, the group will make safety the priority when it comes to making decisions.
\u201cFor diners, we encourage them to check our websites, [and] more so social channels for the most up-to-date information,\u201d McCafferty said.
Anyone who cannot make their reservation at a Schulson Collective restaurant due to weather will not be penalized for doing so. What\u2019s more, if the restaurants need to shut their doors, diners will be notified through the reservation service Resy. McCafferty added that staff will do their best to rebook guests for another time that\u2019s ideal for them \u2014 within reason.
\u201cAlpen Rose, which is one of our boutique steakhouses, is an 11-table restaurant, right? It\u2019s always packed and it books 30 days out, as soon as reservations become available,\u201d McCafferty said. \u201cI can\u2019t say that I\u2019ll be able to promise 7 p.m. on a Saturday on Valentine\u2019s Day.\u201d
Henry Chow, the general manager of Sang Kee in Chinatown, said that his restaurant is also anticipating closing if the weather is as bad as forecasts predict.
\u201cWe\u2019re planning on ordering a little bit less ingredients \u2014 a lot less duck than normal,\u201d Chow said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to have ducks sitting there and not being able to be open and roast it and serve it. So preliminarily, we\u2019re planning on possibly being closed both Sunday and Monday.\u201d
As for Sang Kee\u2019s reservations those days?
\u201cWe\u2019ve actually already called all of them,\u201d Chow said. \u201cWe preemptively canceled it because we don\u2019t like to let people down.\u201d
Temperatures this weekend are expected to be about 20 degrees Fahrenheit or colder, and with the predicted snowfall, driving could be unsafe. Still, not every restaurant is anticipating being closed on Sunday.
Paul Puma, co-owner of Ants Pants on South Street, is looking to stay open for what he called his \u201cbread and butter\u201d \u2014 the weekend brunch shift.
\u201cWe will open,\u201d Puma said. \u201cThis is the livelihood of a lot of our employees.\u201d
\u201cPhiladelphia is very walkable, so we do have people who live close by,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd we\u2019ll keep our sidewalk clean to the best of our ability.\u201d
Puma is expecting the day to be slower than most, with staff running at about half capacity. He is grateful for his neighborhood and the regulars who he believes are more than down to trek a couple blocks in the snow to come in.
The only way he anticipates Ants Pants shutting its doors is if the power goes out.
Corner bars in the city will likely fare better than more traditional sit-down spots. While diners might not be able to drive across town for a sit-down reservation, they could be willing to trudge a few blocks to grab a cozy drink.
Chef Andrew Henshaw at Jaffe Bar plans to stay open in spite of the storm. The majority of Jaffe\u2019s staff lives close to the restaurant, he said, and can walk to work.
\u201cClosing was definitely discussed,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we just kind of thought and hoped that the people that are closest in proximity to us, and hope that they want to come and hang out at Jaffe.\u201d
Henshaw said that escaping your house, even when the weather is brutal, and finding community can make for a more memorable dining experience.
\u201cI used to go out when I was younger,\u201d Henshaw said. \u201cA snow day was always a really fun time to just get together with a few friends and go somewhere cozy \u2014 grab some food, grab some drinks, just kind of hang out.\u201d
Nano Wheedan, owner of Taco Heart in South Philly, said the restaurant is still figuring out how they are going to handle the storm. The goal, as always, is to give the community a space to get out of the house and enjoy something \u201cwarm and delicious.\u201d
\u201cMost likely, we\u2019re going to give our staff a choice of whether or not they want to come to work,\u201d he said. \u201cWe expect it to be very slow, but we don\u2019t want to deny our staff the chance to have hours.\u201d
Unfortunately, even if Taco Heart is open, Wheedan is uncertain if the restaurant will be able to provide delivery services to customers.
\u201cSo much of our business is DoorDash and Uber Eats,\u201d he said. But he also knows there may not be enough delivery drivers working and able to get through the snow.
\u201cI think a lot of people are going to try [ordering in], because they\u2019re not going to want to leave their houses, but that\u2019s something that we might have to turn off because it\u2019s just not possible.\u201d
Because of this, Wheedan said there is definitely financial anxiety for the days ahead.
\u201cThis week is gonna stink,\u201d he laughed. \u201cThis is bad. This is not good, and January is already really tough. So this is just adding insult to injury. But, you know, we have to zoom out and make up for it later on somehow.\u201d
Restaurants that do stay open may have altered or limited menus, as regular grocery deliveries to establishments could be impacted.
\u201cWe\u2019re hoping that restaurants are keeping an eye on how much they\u2019re ordering,\u201d Fileccia said. \u201cAnd making sure that their food and their equipment is protected in case of power outages, that type of stuff \u2014 making sure their employees are safe, whether they\u2019re working or whether they\u2019re staying home.\u201d
As for Philly diners, Fileccia had some advice.
\u201cPlan ahead,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t think you\u2019re going to be coming into town, give that restaurant notice. Cancel appropriately ahead of time.\u201d
What\u2019s more, Fileccia said that during any kind of potential shutdown like this, Philadelphians can always provide support in other ways.
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t hurt to buy a gift card,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s an interest-free micro loan to the restaurant that you love and to the hospitality team that treats you so great.\u201d<\/p>\n