LIHU‘E — Until two weeks ago, Kaua‘i Beer Company Marketing Director Larry Feinstein felt like a bullet was dodged.
Though the Lihu‘e restaurant had to briefly pause in-person dining in early 2020, it remained in operation throughout the pandemic.
“We’d gotten lucky we got this far,” said Feinstein, who credited safety measures, along with pure good fortune, with their run. “But omicron changed all that.”
On Jan. 13, staff discovered that a worker who had been in the restaurant the night before had tested positive for COVID-19.
Management shut down the restaurant for several days as the crew got tested.
“We wanted to err on the side of caution,” Feinstein said. “I have tremendous respect for this virus, so it was a very-easy decision.”
Then, only a few days after reopening, another employee tested positive, and the process restarted. Kaua‘i Beer Company reopened Monday hopeful this one will stick.
These temporary shutdowns have occurred at many other Kaua‘i restaurants as the omicron surge rushes through the island.
“Many restaurants are facing challenges and have shut down,” said Mark Perriello, president and CEO of the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce. “It’s happening across this island.”
Kaua‘i currently has a seven-day case average of 230 COVID-19 cases a day, which officials report as an all-time high.
Restaurants that have been temporarily shut down include Tip Top Cafe, Aloha ‘Aina, Mark’s Place, Dani’s Restaurant, Avalon Gastropub and Kiawe Roots.
Additionally, several restaurants, including Art Cafe Hemingway, Kalaheo Steak &Rib and Ruth’s Chris Steak House in The Shops at Kukui‘ula closed permanently during the pandemic.
While in the early days of the virus, the federal government offered a variety of programs to assist small businesses, Perriello reported that most of these have been discontinued. He said that an influx of tourism during the holidays improved the business landscape, but that the omicron surge that followed caused business to slow by about 20%.
For Avalon Gastropub in Wailua, the surge has meant uncertainty. Like the beer company, Avalon hadn’t experienced an exposure until this January when co-owners Gabe and Ali Avalon both tested positive.
After they recovered, they restocked on food, planning for a reopening in mid-January. But then, another employee tested positive, and the food had to be thrown out. All told, they were shut down for nearly the entire month.
“It’s that constant balance where you’re trying not to buy too much in case you have to go down,” Gabe Avalon said.
“We have no idea what’s going to happen next week,” added Ali Avalon. “It’s hard to plan anything.”
They hoped to open at a new location in November 2021, but have had to put the move off due to COVID-related delays in the permitting process.
Restaurants like Avalon have also been dealing with a worker shortage that reflects a nationwide struggle for restaurants to find employees.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the accommodation and food-service industry had 1.31 million job openings posted in November 2021. By contrast, the department only reported 1.079 million new hires, leaving the industry 231,000 workers short.
“The workforce has been so decimated,” Gabe Avalon said. “We have a great team right now, but it’s a skeleton crew.”
Due to staffing shortages, Avalon’s hours have been cut from six days a week to four.
“Businesses are struggling to find employees right now,” said Perriello. “There is a nationwide challenge around the employee crisis, but it is especially true here on Kaua‘i where the cost of living is very prohibitive,” he said. “Unless we figure out some solutions to the cost of living on Kaua‘i, then businesses are going to be struggling.”
Feinstein said that Kaua‘i Beer Company has also been fortunate to have maintained most of its workforce through the pandemic.
“The owner (Jim Guerber) has been generous keeping people on and keeping the core group of workers intact,” said Feinstein. “Though it was costly at the time, it ended up being a smart investment.”
Avalon reopened Wednesday, with the Avalons cautiously optimistic about the prospects for the coming year. “It can’t get worse, right?” Gabe Avalon asked rhetorically.
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
Unfortunately this open/close syndrome for restaurants will continue to happen due to the easy spread of Omicron by tourists. Omicron is easily carried and spread by vaccinated people, and “Safe Travels” does not address this. Testing travelers is an easy fix but our leaders just sit on their hands. As a resident I have not dined in a restaurant in ages, and only do take out from the couple of restaurants that are open to the outside so I am not confined with travelers. I stay away from them, wear my N-95 and it has worked well for me so far.
It may be convenient to blame tourists, but if the data is considered, most of the spread has been community. Tourist have had to undergo vaccinations, negative testing upon arrival, and other protocols. When one considers the spread with restaurant employees, one may consider the community aspects. Some employees have chosen not to get vaccinated and some have been, and still get infected. The good news is that anyone vaccinated may still get infected, but the chances of the dying are greatly diminished.
The restaurant community on Kauai has historically operated with low profit margins and increasing costs. There is a balance that exists, but labor shortages do not help. This is a major problem that has to be dealt with by all and at the end of the day, there are no immediate solutions, only hope. The hope that as an operator, you may be able to keep the doors open one more day, until the next day. That is a road of uncertainty, but the passion owners have keeps them moving forward, in spite of the challenges.
As citizens of Kauai, it is imperative that we collaborate and find solutions, offer help, and consider what restauranteurs need to survive. It is indeed a slippery slope, one which I hope can sustain and rise up again. The resilience of Kauai will definitely be a factor.
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