A TAle of Two ResTAuRAnTs

By Kasha Stoll

“We are ripping apart our entire business model.”

Like many restaurant owners, Shannon Tanski Cornelius had to make fast, dramatic changes to her business just to survive. Cornelius owns the Yellow Bike Coffee shops at 5094 Miller Trunk Highway and 600 East Superior Street in Duluth.

“With a coffee shop, half of what you sell is experience,” Cornelius said. “People come in to enjoy your space.”

The COVID pandemic put a major dampener on the coffee house and restaurant experience, though. Instead of a relaxing place to hang out with your friends, these businesses have become almost synonymous with “danger zone.”

“People are not comfortable coming out when it is really busy. I get that!” said Beth Sullivan, owner of Rustic Inn Café, 2773 Highway 61 in Two Harbors. “There are people who really want to go out, but they are apprehensive.”

Still, people need to eat, and business owners need to stay afloat. Cornelius and Sullivan took almost completely different paths to achieve the same goals.

Focus on product

To maximize sales, Cornelius is placing a strong focus on her products.

“It quickly became apparent that it is all about our product and drive thru,” Cornelius said. “We had a kids’ room in the back that was very popular. It was colorful and beautiful and fun. It was a great community entity. We are changing that into a bakery. Right now, I have to make revenue with every square foot I have.”

When the bakery is up and running, Yellow Bike Coffee will offer what Cornelius calls “bakery boxes.” The boxes will be themed and contain products appropriate to a particular audience. Possible themes include pets, children and business offices.

“We are collaborating with local businesses, so it won’t be just our stuff. We will have items from other local artisans,”

Cornelius said. “Supporting each other is the name of the game with COVID right now.”

People began pre-ordering the boxes in September, long before Cornelius selected the themes.

The pandemic also inspired Cornelius to follow through and expand on an idea she had for a couple of years. Her idea of a small, intimate patio morphed into a “COVIDinspired” outdoor seating area with three main sections, plants and firepits.

Cornelius and her brothers designed the patio, which can comfortably seat 30. Then she built most of it herself.

The patio has been very popular. Cornelius said many large families that are traveling together have stopped and enjoyed a meal and a rest at the patio. Other customers have reserved the patio for events like birthday parties and wedding and baby showers.

“The patio has been very popular. We are debating on how long we should keep it up,” Cornelius said.

The patio will have to come down during the winter because it is sitting where large piles of snow are typically moved.

As wintertime settles into the Northland, Cornelius is pivoting her business again.

“We are rolling out new ideas in early to mid-November,” she said. “We are actively developing and redeveloping constantly because of COVID. We have to interact with our local market.

“I have never worked so hard in my life for so little results,” she added. “ My goal now is to keep the business alive.”

Sweets and a little bit of love

Unlike many of her colleagues, Sullivan made a deliberate decision to not open an outdoor seating area at Rustic Inn Café.

“We get black flies, mosquitos and the wind off the lake,” she said. “You can be sitting outside in nice weather, and the wind changes and the temperature drops. [Outdoor seating] just didn’t seem to fit.”

Sullivan did decide to shorten her hours, though, primarily for staffing reasons.

“In years past, the staff was more than agreeable to have overtime,” Sullivan said. “It is more difficult this year. There is more stress.

“We are running at 50 percent capacity and having to social distance,” she added. “We are trying to keep everyone safe, both physically and mentally. It is different wearing a mask all day. That is a different paradigm.”

Still, despite the limited seating and shortened hours, Rustic Inn Café is staying strong.

“We have had an unbelievably robust curbside and to-go business this year,” Sullivan said. “Pie sales are through the sky, and the gift shop is doing well.”

Sullivan didn’t take credit for the strong sales. She said the uptick “happened on its own.”

She said a lot of people are coming to the Northland to get out of the city. They tend to bring their own food for meals, and then stop at local eateries to pick up sweets like pies and ice cream. Then, as they are heading home, people stop by the gift shop and “buy themselves a little bit of love” in the form of sweatshirts and souvenirs.

As the winter and holiday season approaches, Sullivan has a couple of suggestions for customers. The first is to order whole pies weeks in advance. The second is to use the restaurant’s website, rusticinn.cafe, to order and pay for food, and then drive by for curbside pickup.

Finally, Sullivan said most of her business happens in the summer, so wintertime is much slower. Provided the roads are clear, she said that might be a great time to stop by and enjoy a sit-down meal.

CDC recommendations for restaurant dining

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there is currently “no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 is spread by handling or eating food.” However, it does offer several suggestions to help people stay safe when dining at a restaurant.

• Check the restaurant’s website and social media to see if they have updated their information to address any COVID-19 safety guidelines.

• Before you go to the restaurant, call and ask if all staff members are wearing masks while at work.

• Wear a mask as much as possible when not eating.

• Maintain a social distance of 6 feet or more in any entryway, hallway or waiting area.

• When possible, choose food and drink options that are not self-serve to limit the use of shared serving utensils, handles, buttons or touchscreens.

• Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds when entering and exiting the restaurant. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. D