Will coronavirus put your favorite KC restaurant out of business? Not if you can help it

The coronavirus shutdown may not be the zombie apocalypse — but it might be the foodie apocalypse if we don’t support local restaurants the next few weeks.

Your favorite restaurants’ profit margins were hair-thin to begin with, and their business was already down in the weeks leading up to the drastic, but needed, dine-in shutdown this week. Some may not survive. But they’re more certain not to without your business.

So, how can you help?

“Carry on by carrying out,” says Bob Bonney, CEO of the Missouri Restaurant Association.

“Don’t decrease your dining frequency. Just do it in a different way,” adds Bill Teel, executive director of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association.

Inevitable directives Monday from Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and other KC-area leaders in both states have halted dine-in restaurant operations until at least April 1. And while authorities hope the move will flatten the curve of new COVID-19 cases, it’s already caused a dangerous cash crunch for the area’s eateries — even with drive-thru, delivery and takeout available in most cases.

“Any industry where the margins are razor-thin — and that describes restaurants perfectly — the smaller your profit percentage is, the more cash flow becomes an issue,” Bonney explained. “You’re looking to pay your February bills with your March sales, and the March sales have tanked.”

Buying gift cards for later use creates an immediate cash infusion, which can be a life jacket for local restaurants. It’s also a present to both your favorite restaurant now and later to yourself or others.

But during the dine-in ban, takeout and delivery would help even more — especially takeout, since delivery involves extra costs, and not all restaurants are equipped for it. Indeed, the Missouri Restaurant Association has sent guidelines to its members for expanding or establishing delivery services. Those restaurants that are repurposing current employees to deliver food, for instance, have to think about such things as notifying insurance agents and perhaps purchasing ramped-up insurance.

Takeout and delivery are also a great opportunity to help service-industry workers with tips — maybe even a little bigger than usual, if possible.

Food delivery is a great service to homebound, self-isolating consumers, and delivery capability may explode during the shutdown. But, says Bonney, “If you really want to help to the highest extent, order carryout.”

Keeping restaurants afloat will be no small feat: The 11,000-strong Missouri restaurant industry employs about 10% of the state’s workforce, or about 300,000 people. In Kansas City’s 5th Congressional District alone, some 1,500 restaurants employ 30,700 workers. In Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District, encompassing Wyandotte and Johnson counties, there are 833 restaurants employing 25,816 people.

“There will be some restaurants that close,” Teel said. “I don’t know how bad it’s going to be at this point. A lot depends on how long the dine-in portion has to remain closed and how long this whole pandemic stretches out. The sooner the better. Restaurants can’t survive for a long period of time without the cash flow.”

The Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association’s Facebook page this week was touting a national #CarryOutWednesday promotion — and more such efforts are sure to come.

Keep calm, carry on — and carry out.

This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 5:00 AM.