7 minute read
a side of silver linings
by Kate Noet
Torey’s manages to create a little good from the bad
By BRiDget KRanZ
after 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 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
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tap beer was almost impossible to move while doing takeout, so torey Statlander got creative. in return for a donation to rachel’s Light, customers could come in and fill their growlers. Pictured here, Marah riks now tends the bar with torey’s reopened for in-person dining. (Photo by bridget kranz)
as customers return to the torey’s dining room, and continue to support the restaurant through takeout, torey Statlander says it’s the first time some diners have been out to eat in a year. he enjoys seeing familiar faces and watching neighbors reconnect through food. (Photo by bridget kranz)
Before the pandemic, it was common to see torey’s Restaurant & Bar involved in all kinds of fundraisers – whether through renting out their space or making other donations. even though Statlander needed assistance himself during the pandemic, he and his team also kept the circle going by turning an excess of tap beer into a fundraiser for Rachel’s light.
During the initial restaurant closure last spring, he estimated that the restaurant lost up to $3,000 worth of beer it had on hand but could no longer serve. When they had to cease indoor dining again, he was ready with a plan for how extra beer could be put to use.
“We allowed people to bring their growlers in and, for a donation, we’d fill them. then, we donated all the money to Rachel’s light,” said Statlander. through the fundraiser, he added that the restaurant raised close to $1,000 for the women’s shelter. Statlander and his daughter used the money to buy things from the organization’s wish list, delivering the supplies and remaining cash directly to Rachel’s light.
“People would come in even after the fundraiser was over and ask to donate,” he added. “it was a good feeling to take a bad thing and do something good with it.”
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reopened, it would be kind of like a fresh start.” according to Statlander, he tried to keep on as many full-time staff on as possible. However, given the fact that both the restaurant’s in-person dining and catering operations had basically shut down due to the pandemic, hours were often reduced.
“the servers helped with takeout and the cooks helped in the kitchen. We cut back on dishwashers, so our cooks washed all the dishes at the end of the night. We had less time, and a few more duties to get through during the day,” he said.
Packaging, supply chain costs added to burden
although the restaurant is now reopened for indoor dining and there is hopefully an end in sight to the pandemic, Statlander said torey’s may not have been able to stay open during COViD-19 by doing takeout alone – even with the outstanding customer response. grants from local organizations and the Small Business administration helped him pay staff. He added that co-owners Bob and Bonnie Cole, who own the building where torey’s is located, also helped financially to keep the business afloat.
Statlander said the margins of running a restaurant are slim to begin with, and the pandemic impacted both indoor dining and the supply chain. in order to expand his takeout operation, he estimated that he spent between $12,000 and $18,000 more on packaging than he had the previous year. there have been issues nationwide with access to cleaning supplies and food products, which he added drove prices up for the restaurant on the supply side.
“Prices were going up and, as a restaurant, you
Getting creative with the menu
a recurring theme for the restaurant during the pandemic was using what they had in stock, from donating excess beer to developing a more flexible menu – and larger cast of rotating specials. Reopened for indoor dining, Boyd said they’ve switched from having two full menus to having one menu and an expanded list of daily specials. “We used to have one or two specials every night, now we have six,” she said. “We may have trouble getting certain things, so that’s made us really get creative with what we’re offering. For lent right now, we get fish flown in straight from Hawaii. that’s a Friday night special.” Statlander added that while many diners have come back to the restaurant, others who aren’t comfortable dining out just yet continue to support torey’s through to-go orders. For takeout options as well, the staff has adapted and created a menu that works to grab and eat at home.
while torey’s offered takeout prior to the pandemic, torey Statlander and his team grew the operation quickly last spring. running orders out of the back door, the kitchen featured items that kept well as to-go orders and added in family-style meals. (Photo by bridget kranz)
- torey Statlander
“We definitely had to revamp our menu. a lot of our stuff is a little higher end, and it didn’t appeal to everyone as takeout,” said Boyd. “We created familystyle meals like a big pasta dinner with salad. torey would try to come up with specials on a daily basis, and we did a lot of Facebook posting to keep people updated week by week.”
Since January, diners have also been coming back in to eat. Statlander said for one woman, it was her first time dining out since last March. On the catering side of things, business is also looking up, as many of the events that were postponed are getting back on the schedule.
“We’re starting to get things back. i still have a couple of weddings that haven’t rescheduled, but when they’re ready, they will,” he added. “i had one bride who rescheduled three different times and finally said, ‘You know what, we’re getting married.’ they had a small group, and down the road, they’re going to have something bigger.” although this past year has been unimaginably tough for the restaurant industry financially and emotionally, his main message is of appreciation for his community and diners.
“We have such a great customer base, they’ve supported us whether it be through takeout or even just messages of support,” said Statlander. “in the past, when people have come in for donations and fundraisers, we’ve been able to help out. it was great to be on the other end of things and feel that support.” One less visible downside to the pandemic for staff at Torey’s Restaurant & Bar has been the decrease in social interaction – both with each other and with customers. Front-of-house manager Katie Boyd said part of the reason she is in the industry is that she likes working with people, making conversation and getting to know others. “I don’t think customers understand how emotional this was for a lot us,” she said.“We’re ‘people’ people.We didn’t have the conversation every day, that interaction. There was a piece of that taken away from us.We had to adjust, and now we have to readjust again, too.” While Statlander enjoys seeing customers come in the back door and grab takeout orders, it’s not quite the same as being able to interact in the dining room. As a downtown institution, he added that it’s also a place where people run into neighbors or long-lost friends.
“Some people have stayed home except to get groceries. There are a lot of people that have hardly left their house,” he said.“It’s great to see people back visiting, eating and drinking together.”
