Covid has immensely impacted family restaurant owners in almost every aspect possible, from scheduling employees, changing capacity, picking up shifts for sick coworkers, and going from a fully packed restaurant to an empty room. Jennifer Leighton, a manager at The Perk, a small restaurant located in Perkasie, PA, has had her whole work-life changed due to Covid. 

She had several new responsibilities when Covid hit, which led to accompanying stress. She was concerned about the safety of her family, staff, customers, and herself. Leighton is in charge of scheduling at The Perk, and now that there are possibilities for staff contracting the virus, she always has to have food runners and bussers on call every day, which was not necessary before Covid.

Unfortunately, Leighton had to lay off seventy-five percent of her employees, who were like family to her. Although experiencing these setbacks and more, she continues to stay very positive in these situations. She says, “our biggest struggle has been our biggest win” when talking about what happens when employees get sick. Looking at the positive, she says now employees are taking care of themselves and their own health. 

There are several protocols when it comes to open dining rooms in restaurants. At the beginning of the pandemic, The Perk shut down and went to full takeout. As the pandemic has progressed, restaurants can have people dine-in as long as the tables are six feet apart and people wear a mask while entering and exiting the restaurant. The restaurant must also provide signage, including arrows on the floors for one-way walkways and signs to keep those waiting in line six feet apart.

The financial effect has been especially difficult for small businesses like The Perk. 

They have to close earlier than they used to and cut hours for employees. One employee, Lauryn Woolridge, who went to Montgomery County Community College for nursing and has a 4-year old son, says that these financial setbacks made it difficult to afford food, rent, utilities, and more. Although Woolridge went through these financial struggles, in the long run, she realized that “safety comes before everything”, and saw the true priorities in life.

The staff at The Perk have persevered through these difficult times and continue to work hard for the best health and satisfaction of themselves and their customers.