I Miss Restaurants

BY JIM MATHIS

Imiss restaurants. Not just the food, but the people, the sounds, the smells, and the experience. I miss the exploration; trying new foods, new flavors, new wines. I know many of you are going back to restaurants and bars, but I’ve got health issues that leave me with a diminished immune system. So, for now we’re staying home.

I wrote a couple of months back about how the coronavirus has changed so many aspects of our lives. I appreciated that the city had added 20-minute take-out parking spaces in front of downtown restaurants. I hoped they would be permanent, but alas, many have been removed and returned to metered parking. I really enjoyed how many restaurants had pivoted to take-out dining, adding new menu items and even changing their business model. But sadly, the 50-layer lasagna from Morrie’s disappeared when they re-opened the dining room as did their butcher shop selections.

As we’ve wallowed in this pandemic for more than half a year, and news cases continue to spike in our area as I write this, we’ve begun to see restaurants fold due to the lingering economic effects

of the disease. Spezia is gone, as are The Royal Fork, The Market and Red Rossa. And other restaurants that used to be packed nearly every night are serving a fraction of their normal customers. Many are leaning heavily into take-out orders or moving all of

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their dining to patio spaces, but as the South Dakota winter approaches, that will no longer be an option. We’ll likely lose more before this is over. A national Yelp survey released in mid-August said 53% of all U.S. restaurants had closed permanently due to the coronavirus.

We have enjoyed a few meals at restaurants with outdoor patios and good separation between tables, but honestly after months of not dining out, it feels strange, as if we’ve forgotten how. We are getting take-out from our favorites, and when we do, we often add a bottle of wine to our order to help them out. And with a few exceptions, we get the take-out ourselves rather than relying on Door Dash, Food Dudes or Grubhub as they charge exorbitant fees to the restaurants. Times are tough enough for the restaurants, I don’t want to add to their pain.

What happens next? Do restaurants change to meet the changing world, or do we get back to normal once a vaccine is available? And how many more dining options will we lose before

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that happens? More importantly, what can we do to help the establishments we love? Here are a few ideas. Keep ordering takeout, and when possible, pick it up yourself. And when you’re hungry for pizza, seek out the local pizzerias. When you crave fried chicken, call The Keg instead of the Colonel. And leave a tip, even if you’re getting takeout; those tips are spread around to the staff, and they count on the income. And above all, wear a mask, wash your hands, and stay six feet apart so we can get past this damned pandemic!

Do yourself a favor, wash your hands, wear your mask and eat something good today.

When Jim’s not worried about his favorite dining establishments, he runs ADwërks, an advertising and marketing communications agency in downtown Sioux Falls (and from home offices, kitchen tables and spare rooms around Sioux Falls.)

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