Setting the Table FIVE DENVER INDUSTRY EXPERTS LOOK BACK AND AHEAD. O n a Zoom back in April 2020, when everyone hoped the pandemic would be under control in a matter of weeks, Dave Query, the chef who went on to found the Big Red F restaurant group — and, along with wife Dana Faulk Query, just won the Noel & Tammy Cunningham Humanitarian Award from the Colorado Restaurant Association — threw some cold water on the discussion. He was worried about what would happen not just that summer, but the following winter...and the winter after that, he said. Turns out, Query was right about the challenges that restaurateurs would not just face in the early days of the pandemic, but would continue to grapple with today. So we decided to pick up where that conversation left off, and contacted some of the most experienced — and outspoken — mem- bers of Denver’s dining community to talk about where the industry’s been and where it’s headed. In addition to Query, we queried longtime marketing expert John Im- bergamo, who started out with Mr. Steak and now works with Crafted Concepts (the group founded by Jen Jasinski and Beth Gruitch), as well as Jacqueline Bonanno of the Bonanno Group and Juan Padró of Culinary Cre- ative. As a special bonus, Josh Wolkon of Secret Sauce — a previous winner of the Noel & Tammy Cunningham Humanitarian Award — served up a tasty essay in answer to our questions. Bon appétit. What lessons has the industry learned over the past eighteen months? John Imbergamo: We learned that being nimble was the key to survival. Government shuts down inside din- ing? Crank up pick-up and delivery systems and create new patio spaces where streets and sidewalks once 6 WESTWORD BITES 2021 Juan Padró stood. Labor shortages creating a crisis in the restaurant? Eliminate meal pe- riods, trim menu offerings and go “all hands on deck” with owners, managers and chefs working shifts. Government rules and relief programs dictating daily operations and survival? Get involved with EatDenver and the Colorado Restaurant Association to infl uence offi cials and let them know how important restaurants are to the economy. Dave Query: There have been a few really important lessons learned over the last eighteen months. Kind of the same takeaways the investigative crew must have made after looking at the Ti- tanic disaster. “More lifeboats, watch out for icebergs!” I think everyone is more effi cient. More effi cient with labor and sched- uling, hours of operation, menu lay- out, less likely to put up with bullshit from customers, employees, landlords, bankers, vendors. More calculating. Budgeting, labor analysis, costing effi - ciencies — it’s harder to make a buck, and everyone is taking it a whole lot more seriously than just waiting until the end of of the month to “see how we did.” Juan Padró: There have been a lot of lessons learned, some good and some bad. From the perspective of the inde- pendent restaurant, I think the need to have a voice, to organize and to have a lobby are probably right at the top of my list. We’ve had some groups help, for sure, but we have a long way to go. I’m really encouraged by some of the leaders we saw emerge over the past eighteen months. I’d like to see those groups trying to help and lobby, engage those who really stepped up in these diffi cult times, not just the big names in the industry who as a group really didn’t do a good job. And I don’t want that to sound like criticism of anyone, because in times like these, people react differently. But it’s worth noting that the real heroes were more often than not the small operators who don’t have a PR machine behind them. That’s where the inspirational work was being done. The celebrity chef worship, I think, has slowed down quite a bit from those in the industry. And there has been a greater level of respect and admiration on a more local level as it became very clear who was a leader. As an operator, I paid close attention and have a clear picture as to who I want on my teams. Jacqueline Bonanno: I can’t speak for the industry, but I can tell you that I learned how resilient my co-work- ers are and how loyal our clients are. The law changed every two weeks, it seemed, and we changed right along with it — dine continued on page 8 ESTHER LEE LEACH
