15 minute read
Entertainment
Zach Ferguson, Brady Hess, and Emily Wichmann take an honest, heartfelt, and hilarious look Behind the Menu
There are more than 13.5 million restaurant workers in the United States right now, according to the National Restaurant Association. Despite that lofty number, many spend much of their industry experience feeling unseen. Zach Ferguson, Brady Hess, and Emily Wichmann, the trio behind the Restaurant Tales and Behind the Menu podcasts, are helping change that. The hospitality veterans have created a platform connecting industry workers—sharing the good, the bad, and the absolutely hilarious.
The three met when working at Brix in Midtown Crossing, and remained close in spite of its closure, which caused a change in their working relationship.
“We’ve known each other for long enough that if we could hate each other, we would by now,” Wichmann said. “I had seen them both [Ferguson and Hess] be patient, compassionate— and they were always really funny. We just inherently got along, and soon we hit that level of camaraderie and were hanging out on purpose after work. Eight years later, we’re still finding ways to hang out.”
The idea to launch a podcast began to germinate one evening over drinks. Talk turned to the joys and frustrations they had experienced in their hospitality careers and how universal it had been in each of the restaurants they’d worked in.
“T he conversation came around to the fact that there wasn’t a podcast about the bar and restaurant industry that was really for or about service workers,” Hess said. “The industry podcasts that exist really focus on the business of restaurants, the technical or financial aspects. We started talking about what it would look like if we had one of our own. We would shine a light on the behind-the-scenes of it, and the funny, chaotic family dynamic restaurants tend to have. We wanted something industry people could listen to and relate to, the joy and the struggles.”
“Initially, we were planning for the show to be a series of listener stories, but switched to planned guests and interviews,” he explained.
Ferguson was optimistic, yet realistic, about what their audience would look like, saying “We decided to temper our expectations about how many listeners we would even have. Most podcasts get less than 100 consistent downloads, and we thought we’d be lucky if 10 of our friends listened regularly.”
The first Restaurant Tales episode launched in February 2019 with guest chef A.J. Swanda, and within 24 hours hit 120 downloads. To Ferguson’s surprise, the listenership didn’t wane, and it wasn’t just friends of the trio tuning in.
“It still blows my mind that anyone is interested in our take, but it’s really resonated and rippled pretty far. Only about one-third of our audience is in Nebraska. We get thousands of downloads in New York, California, and Texas. The feedback we’re getting is that everyone is going through really similar experiences, the good and the bad.”
Their funny, poignant, and honest episodes were a hit among servers, bartenders, and chefs across the country, and they were making a meaningful impact in an industry with a high rate of burnout.
“Some of our favorite episodes have been our looks at the mental health aspect of restaurant work,” Ferguson said. “Getting resources to people, offering support, and just shedding light on the challenges.” To that end, they interviewed Katy Osuna of the James Beard Award-winning podcast Copper and Heat in January 2021. “[It] really focused on some of the more serious aspects. We tried to drive people toward her resources.”
Their compassion and humor weren’t only catching the ear of industry workers, but of KIOS broadcasting, and soon the trio launched Behind the Menu on Saturday afternoons. “We obviously had to do something different for NPR, but we didn’t lose any of the integrity of what we were doing by doing it a little tamer,” Ferguson said.
Behind the Menu was intended to debut in the spring of 2020, but COVID-19 temporarily shut down production while everyone found their footing.
“Todd Hatton, [program director] at KIOS, worked hard to help us work around the shutdown,” Ferguson recalled. “We pushed it back a little bit, but by March [2020] we were starting the conversations that turned into our first episodes.” In May, they released a fourpart series on Behind the Menu, and by June they were able to start working with people more closely. “We started telling their pandemic survival stories, sharing how COVID was affecting people.”
Hess takes pleasure in finding something to celebrate in even the challenging subjects their guests are sharing. “It’s so fun to talk to people right now because we’ve gotten to have these conversations with people who have been doing things the same for years,” he said. “They worked hard to find their system, and suddenly they are redesigning their menu, their work spaces, everything. It’s been exciting to see how creative people have been, adjusting their biggest dream completely on the fly, with no blueprint for how to operate under these circumstances.”
For Wichmann, the journey has been a blast, but it’s the light at the end of the tunnel that has her pushing through. “The joy and energy people have now that they’re able to get out again is really promising. And it’s not just the diners, chefs and servers have missed... most of their customers. We feel really lucky to have this platform where we could give these workers a voice when they were at risk of losing everything, and to be able to use that platform to celebrate as things start coming back to life.”
Visit restauranttales.podbean.com or tune in to Behind the Menu Saturdays at 2 p.m. at kios.org/programs/behind-menu
Feature // Producing Excellence
While it’s a welldocumented fact that people eat first with their eyes, readers have likely never feasted theirs on edible art such as was produced this month, shown on the following pages. Food stylist Sarah Jane Hunt's well-trained eye constructed the shoot for photographer Bill Sitzmann, but the bold colors, deeply nourishing leaves and florets, and rich history are a credit to nature herself. This may not be the olivetoned steamed peas of one’s mother, but it might be enough to convince people to reconsider their + relationship with roughage.
Feature
+Eggs
An Eggceptional Clutch.
Early Egyptians domesticated quail both for their ease of care, and for the consistently high nutrient content within their diminutive shells. Weighing just 9 grams, quail eggs manage to pack more iron, B12, fat, and folate than chicken eggs, which on their own are often touted as “the perfect food.”
Fit for a Diety.
Citrus fruits were said to be the dowry of Hera, presented upon her marriage to Zeus. Kumquats, blood oranges, and citrus leaves, specifically, are packed with vitamins and phytochemicals that can boost immunity, and even aid in the absorption of other nutrients. Brighten up your diet with any variety of this sweet, but low-glycemic load treat.
+Peas
A Snappy Tradition.
Peas have been a dietary staple since as early as 3000 BCE and were among the first crops planted by the settlers in 1492. The French refer to sugar snap peas as mangetout, which translates to “eat it all,” referring to it’s less fibrous and fully edible pod.
Not to be Truffled With.
Mushrooms are not only among the most versatile ingredients available today, their cost, use, and nutritional benefits vary wildly. From humbly delicious and vitamin D-packed baby 'bellas and shiitake, to $300,000 white truffles and the incurably toxic death cap, mushrooms are a species to be respected.
+Bananas
Bananas About This Berry.
High in potassium, B6, and tryptophan, bananas are considered the perfect pre-workout and mood booster. It’s no wonder more than 100 billion of them are eaten worldwide every year.
+Radicchio (red lettuce)
Chicory Chic.
Radicchio may be a bitter beauty, but its mild spice and high nutrient content have seen it employed as both a delicate side dish on Italian tables and as a blood purifier by ancient elders and medicine men since no earlier than 23 AD.
+Dragon Fruit
Cactus Flower.
Named for their spiny, scaly exterior, dragon fruit packs no fiery punch. Instead, each sweet bite delivers lycopene, vitamin C, iron, Omegas 3 and 6, and protein. The flavor is often likened to a cross between a kiwi and a pear, and is best eaten chilled.
+Kohlrabi (greens)
Bold Brassica.
Kohlrabi may be the slightly spicy, somewhat sweet cousin of cabbage you didn’t know you needed. Low in calories and high in vitamins A, K, and B, this iron-rich root vegetable is excellent served raw in slaws or cooked in casseroles.
+Asparagus
Stalked.
Served as a sacrifice to Aphrodite by ancient Greeks, hunted by Ceasar Augustus’s military, and revered as a symbol of fertility by cultures around the world, asparagus doesn’t produce edible fruit until its fourth year of flourish, but is always worth the wait.
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402.235.5625 | info@ldstrategies.com | www.ldstrategies.com Like many who survived 2020, the word Amy Schicke used to sum up her experience as a restaurateur during the pandemic was pivot. Schicke and her husband, Dario, own and operate two Dundee restaurants: French-inspired Dario’s Brasserie and the northern Italian-focused Avoli Osteria. Like so many in the food service business this past year, the couple pivoted their offerings, adapted, were flexible, and stayed closely in tune with their customers.
The Schickes found that reinventing themselves to meet customers’ needs meant adjusting their dining rooms to allow for social distancing, redesigning business websites to handle online ordering, offering special to-go meals for the holidays, adding patio seating due to increased interest in outdoor dining, and providing services such as curbside pickup.
As concerns about COVID-19 exposure prompted some consumers to seek minimal-contact options, curbside takeout emerged as a popular alternative to on-premise dining. It’s a simple process: a customer calls in an order (or places it online), arrives at the restaurant, and an employee brings the food out to the car.
Several establishments have designated parking spots for curbside customers and will send a text message alerting them when their order is ready. Some restaurants added online ordering directly from their websites.
Online ordering at Dario’s and Avoli caught on with customers almost immediately after it was launched last fall, Schicke said. “They want to support local businesses, they’re tipping well. It’s just been a wonderful sense of community,” she said.
AND OPERATIONAL
ADJUSTMENTS; WE ARE
COMPLETELY THERE
NOW, WITH RESPECT TO
OPERATIONAL EXECUTION OF THIS PROGRAM.”
-ANTHONY HITCHCOCK
Many people aren’t ready to return to dining in, so it’s important to provide alternative options. For those who prefer curbside pickup, an employee can run their order out to them, she said. Other customers have walked up and grabbed their food at the door. Whichever way they choose, Schicke wants guests to feel safe and comfortable and have a positive experience.
It’s unclear when people will make a full return to regularly dining indoors at restaurants. Comfort level varies for everyone. Some industry experts say curbside pickup is likely to stick around in a post-pandemic world.
Even with capacity restrictions lifted and vaccinations ramping up, some customers will continue to rely on curbside pickup to enjoy their favorite restaurant meals and support local businesses, said Zoe Olson, executive director of the Nebraska Restaurant Association, a nonprofit organization based in Lincoln.
“It’s been very important,” Olson said of curbside service. It’s helped many restaurants stay afloat during an uncertain year, she added, and most consumers by now are well adjusted to it.
Along with other off-premise options such as delivery and drive-thru, curbside takeout will play a big role in the restaurant industry’s recovery. Although curbside offers enhanced convenience for customers, it can pose challenges for restaurants.
In the early days of the pandemic, some supplies needed for off-premise dining such as takeout containers, disposable utensils, and other items were harder to find, Olson said. Flexibility was key to making it work—for example, using plastic instead of paper bags for to-go orders.
Other considerations include food presentation, ensuring orders are packaged in a way that maintains food quality and temperature, and preventing spills and other mishaps in the car.
Earlier this year, the National Restaurant Association released its 2021 State of the Restaurant Industry Report, based on analysis of economic data and extensive surveys of 6,000 restaurant operators and 1,000 adult consumers. Among the key findings: 68% of adult consumers say they’re more likely to purchase takeout food from a restaurant than before the pandemic.
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According to the report, here are the percentages of restaurant operators who say they added curbside takeout since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak: family dining 78%, casual dining 73%, fine dining 81%, quick service 58%, fast casual 77%, coffee and snack foods 64%.
Restaurants often need to make operational adjustments in order for curbside service to work.
Blue Sushi Sake Grill, which has three Omaha locations (Grayhawk Pointe, Old Market, and Shops of Legacy), implemented a few changes before rolling out curbside service, according to Anthony Hitchcock, chief operating officer and co-owner of Flagship Restaurant Group. The Omaha-based company owns Blue Sushi and several other dining establishments.
“We have made changes, internally, with the overall execution of the curbside program for Blue Sushi Sake Grill locations in Omaha,” Hitchcock said by email. “Curbside requires more staff, interior remodels, and operational adjustments; we are completely there now, with respect to operational execution of this program.”
Customer feedback has been positive, he added, and many guests are drawn to the convenience, ease, and safety that curbside takeout provides. They can order, pay, and select their pickup time online.
There have been the occasional hiccups, including accurately timing when customers will arrive to pick up their order, and ensuring the food is ready as close to that time as possible. Despite issues that may arise, carryout and curbside orders have helped Flagship make it through a challenging year, Hitchcock noted, and the company is thankful for the community’s support.
Instead of adding curbside service, some local restaurants switched to a curbside-only format.
About three months before the pandemic hit, Edward Alstatt and his wife, Amphayvanh, opened Khao Niao Thai-Lao Restaurant near 156th Street and West Maple Road. The small, family-run eatery serves a variety of Thai and Laotian dishes.
In spring 2020, the couple closed the restaurant’s dining room and shifted to curbside pickup as a way to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, Edward said.
“It’s worked out well for us. I think it has a real value,” he said. “Customers really appreciate it. They can sit in the car and pay at the window.”
Although takeout sales, for the most part, have been good, said Edward, he doesn’t like having to turn away guests. “We are missing a good chunk of business from people wanting to dine in,” he said.
He and Amphayvanh plan to redo the restaurant’s dining room and hope to reopen to diners in late June. They’ll continue offering curbside pickup because customers have embraced it.
Pandemic or not, focusing on customers and understanding their needs is an integral part of any business’s success.
Longtime Omaha restaurant Lo Sole Mio, known for its big plates of pasta and other classic Italian fare, has had success with curbside pickup since offering it in May 2020. The restaurant, near 32nd Avenue and Oak Street, has dedicated staff to handle carryout orders, and demand continues to be strong, said co-owner Marie Losole.
“It’s a no-touch process,” Losole said. “Everybody seems to like it.”
Customers can go inside to pick up their order, but most prefer to stay put in their cars. Although business isn’t back to where it was pre-COVID-19, and the restaurant stopped serving lunch, things are looking up. Takeout sales have doubled, Losole said.
One of the main challenges now, though, is juggling customers inside and outside. Especially during busy hours on the weekends, she said, the number of dine-in guests and curbside orders can put a strain on the cooks.
Even so, curbside is here to stay. As Losole said, “This is the new normal.”
Visit dariosbrasserie.com, avoliosteria.com, flagshiprestaurantgroup.com, khao-niao.com, or losolemio.com for more information.
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