A SIDE OF SILVER LININGS Torey’s manages to create a little good from the bad
A
fter months of high-energy dinner rushes and nightly conversations over the bar, Katie Boyd came into work this time last year to a suddenly empty dining room. She had started as a bartender at Torey’s Restaurant & Bar in Owatonna only months before. Now, her role was one of the hardest to adapt to a world of takeout and uncertainty. Fortunately, chef and co-owner Torey Statlander
By BRIDGET KRANZ worked it out with Boyd. She would take over as frontof-house manager, getting the restaurant and staff ready for when there was once again a dining room to run. “It was something that he offered,” said Boyd. “We had also talked about it when I was initially hired on. He was looking for someone to take some of the stress of running the restaurant off his hands.” During the initial shutdown, she helped run Torey’s
takeout operation while also preparing for an eventual reopening. She created an official training program for new hires, reorganized servers’ sections and codified each employee’s daily tasks. “It helped keep the staff united and keep everybody on the same page,” said Boyd. “It also helped boost morale a little bit, staff knowing that when we
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
ABOVE: Torey Statlander, chef and co-owner of Torey’s Restaurant & Bar in Owatonna, stands once more in a lively dining room. Despite supply chain issues and increased packaging costs, Torey’s made it through the pandemic with support from its owners, grants and customers. (Photo by Bridget Kranz)
Profiles 2021 | Page 25
