Coronavirus: How is it affecting your life?

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

Right at 500 meals today.

Down from a normal 2000

If we survive this........it will be a miracle

Sorry, JR...I haven't kept up with your restaurant discussion. Are you now open at 25% capacity...or are you down 75% because the customers are still staying away?

[clicknow]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

Right at 500 meals today.

Down from a normal 2000

If we survive this........it will be a miracle

Also curious what your corporate overlords (as I think you described them tongue in cheek) are suggesting / opining to their franchise members? How are the other franchise owners doing? Not much better, better than you, what? Is it more location based?

[TJDave]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

Right at 500 meals today.

Down from a normal 2000

If we survive this........it will be a miracle

I’m amazed you had 500. You wouldn’t have 1/10th of that out here.

Keep at it.

[fast4522]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

Right at 500 meals today.

Down from a normal 2000

If we survive this........it will be a miracle

Well if it creeps to 700 sold by mid week you will have direction, not what you want but hope. Maybe a shift country wide, the key will be to not give Nancy Pelosi and Chucky what they want in # 4. If the President and Steven Terner Mnuchin capitulate it will be like a toothache that kills better than the virus.

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

Sorry, JR...I haven't kept up with your restaurant discussion. Are you now open at 25% capacity...or are you down 75% because the customers are still staying away?

Open at 25% capacity. We seat 400. We have yet to come close to 100 customers in at once.

The customers are staying away. We had 250 last Sunday, so it has doubled, but every day is a loss. But we are getting close to break even now. Break even on top of the losses over the last 2 months won’t keep us in business though.....

Every weekday the Harris County Judge and The Houston Mayor go on TV and scare the crap out of people.

Mother’s Day is normally our biggest day of the year. We did 2200 last year on Mother’s Day.........500 is very disappointing

Btw, it’s happening all over town. All restaurants are getting about the same % of loss we are over last year.

Normal week
Mon 600-700
Tues 650-750
We’d 650-750
Thurs 700-800
Friday 800-1000
Sat 1500-1600
Sunday 1900-2000

[tucker6]

I feel for you Ralph. I almost went the franchise route in a different industry. In your estimation, has the franchisor helped or hindered your recovery overall compared to what you might imagine if you could have controlled every decision? Are they reducing their take of the revenue pie to help out?

[sandpit]

I really feel for you Ralph. I worked in the full-service restaurant industry for several years, my dad even owned a steak house for a few years too (he bought it for me really, because he knew how much I enjoyed it). Ultimately the landlord closed us down because he got a better offer from a local hospital to build a doctor's office. But the daily travails were incredible, so I really admire people who can be successful at it.

Our governor here in KY talks to the people like they are in kindergarten, which speaks to the education system he runs. Comes on TV for an hour every day and says absolutely nothing other than to give us his grim reaper death toll. And the "we are gonna get through this together" mantra is completely devoid of meaning.

Meanwhile, I filed for unemployment nearly 2 months ago now, and still have gotten ZERO response. We did get the stimulus money, and luckily my wife has a job, because as a sole proprietor of a travel agency franchise, my income is official nothing and will be for a minimum of four months.

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by tucker6

I feel for you Ralph. I almost went the franchise route in a different industry. In your estimation, has the franchisor helped or hindered your recovery overall compared to what you might imagine if you could have controlled every decision? Are they reducing their take of the revenue pie to help out?

They have done everything they can. They have helped immensely. They have stopped taking “all” of their cut.

They have always been great people (which is our real attraction to the company) and they are very good at setting up a plan for the future. 4 plans have been decided and we all (over 400 franchises and 100 Company stores) had input. Depending on the future, one or 2 of those plans will be implemented.

It’s going to be interesting. In some states the company has already been told that buffet’s will not be back. That will kill several franchisee’s

This company has always been On the edge of survival and that “no buffet” edict was the last nail for them.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/...n-permanently/

We are acting like a cafeteria right now. Adding 5 positions a shift to serve our customers from the back side of our buffet. We worked out the extra labor this morning, if that edict is permanent in Texas, we are done. 200k increase in labor costs a year. We would have to raise our prices 33%. We would be done........

We didn’t even figure in increased insurance and unemployment taxes etc. the Social Security alone would be 12k.

In this environment, uncharted waters and all I tend to want to take a risk and somehow take advantage of what’s occurred. But the rules change every day. Luckily I have a partner/wife who is capable of pivoting on a dime. She can literally do anything and I’m healthier than I’ve been in several years. We can start over again if we need to.....

Sandpit........hang in there. Get on that unemployment. It’s prepaid in most cases by the employer. Up to certain point anyway.

[fast4522]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

We would have to raise our prices 33%. We would be done........

So have a pivot plan. Reading internet story's other than Pace Advantage plus what I see with a recently new Popeyes in my town here is the following.

Correct location with drive thru

It is possible to have the best french fries in town, onion rings also (home made).

If you have the best anything for miles they will come.
You already heard my fish ideas, anything works with the above.
Myself I can not live without coffee, but is very hard to find anyplace as good as mine.

I do hope things improve for you in Houston, but I want improvement for our country as a whole.

[Elkchester Road]

Originally Posted by sandpit

I really feel for you Ralph. I worked in the full-service restaurant industry for several years, my dad even owned a steak house for a few years too (he bought it for me really, because he knew how much I enjoyed it). Ultimately the landlord closed us down because he got a better offer from a local hospital to build a doctor's office. But the daily travails were incredible, so I really admire people who can be successful at it.

Our governor here in KY talks to the people like they are in kindergarten, which speaks to the education system he runs. Comes on TV for an hour every day and says absolutely nothing other than to give us his grim reaper death toll. And the "we are gonna get through this together" mantra is completely devoid of meaning.

Meanwhile, I filed for unemployment nearly 2 months ago now, and still have gotten ZERO response. We did get the stimulus money, and luckily my wife has a job, because as a sole proprietor of a travel agency franchise, my income is official nothing and will be for a minimum of four months.

As a fellow Kentuckian, sandpit, I agree. Listening to Beshear talk to us is like getting a straightpin stuck in your eyeball.

[GMB@BP]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

Open at 25% capacity. We seat 400. We have yet to come close to 100 customers in at once.

The customers are staying away. We had 250 last Sunday, so it has doubled, but every day is a loss. But we are getting close to break even now. Break even on top of the losses over the last 2 months won’t keep us in business though.....

Every weekday the Harris County Judge and The Houston Mayor go on TV and scare the crap out of people.

Mother’s Day is normally our biggest day of the year. We did 2200 last year on Mother’s Day.........500 is very disappointing

Btw, it’s happening all over town. All restaurants are getting about the same % of loss we are over last year.

Normal week
Mon 600-700
Tues 650-750
We’d 650-750
Thurs 700-800
Friday 800-1000
Sat 1500-1600
Sunday 1900-2000

man this sucks, I feel for you. gonna be very tough times.

It is going to affect the poor and lower middle class the hardest, as usual.

[MargieRose]

Per The Washington Post: 100,000 businesses have already closed FOREVER.

Study projects over 100,000 small businesses have permanently closed

A new study by economists at the University of Illinois, Harvard Business School, Harvard University and the University of Chicago projects that more than 100,000 small businesses have permanently closed since the coronavirus pandemic was declared in March, the Washington Post reports.

[GMB@BP]

Originally Posted by MargieRose

Per The Washington Post: 100,000 businesses have already closed FOREVER.

Study projects over 100,000 small businesses have permanently closed

tip of the iceberg.

[clicknow]

Reminds me of the global financial crisis 10 or so years ago. Lots of consolidation where the big wealthy billionaire companies go in and cannabalize and consolidate all those smaller businesses, banks, etc.

This is what happens when the big guys move quickly, with their hands out, to get the lions share of bailout money, while small business owners and working people (who are the consumers who patronize them) are left with empty hands.

That will happen here too. Just watch.

Big Insurance companies not honoring disruption of service for small businesses sure hasn't helped.

[fast4522]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

It’s going to be interesting. In some states the company has already been told that buffet’s will not be back. That will kill several franchisee’s.

The first two weeks of June a Golden Corral is interviewing and hiring for New Hampshire. Prior to the virus the advertisement on Fox plus the local channels by Golden Corral was constant, then went away. Currently we have outside plus 6 feet apart orders, I expect that to be lifted in the 3rd or 4th week of June. I heard on Fox the rules of spending the PPP moneys might get changed real soon. That sounds like live or death for those who have skin in the game on this one.