“I don’t think anyone I know in the food world has ever thought about preparing for a pandemic.”—Ari Weinzweig, co-founding partner of zingermans
, where chefs, restaurateurs, writers, and industry insiders share their perspectives about the food world, tackling a range of topics through the lens of personal experience. First-time writer? Don’t worry, we’ll pair you with an editor to make sure your piece hits the mark.
On the evening of Tuesday, March 11, we had a sold-out fundraising dinner at Zingerman’s Roadhouse for SafeHouse Center, the place in town that provides shelter for victims of domestic abuse. It was a great event. It’s only been six weeks, but it seems like six years. We furloughed nearly 300 of the 700 staff members in our company, which comprises a community of 13 different food businesses. Normally at this time, we’d be ramping up for our busiest weekend of the year: the University of Michigan commencement, which was scheduled for the first weekend of May. Instead, our total organizational sales numbers are now running about 40 percent of plan.
The other piece of history in my mind is that, while none of us have been through this before, humanity has, many times. Annalee Newitz recently wrote aabout the 1666 bubonic plague in London. Over the course of the year, the city lost over 15 percent of its population; across England, 750,000 people died. Newitz’s article reminded me of what I already knew: history always repeats.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Waffle House opens, Chick-fil-A stays closed as Georgia reopens - Business InsiderWhile the majority of Chick-fil-A's business is through the drive-thru, Waffle House's sales dropping by 70% during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read more »
Allbirds debuts its first running shoe. To succeed, it must face rivals like Nike and the challenges of a pandemicAllbirds debuts its first running shoe. To succeed, it must face rivals like Nike—and a pandemic
Read more »
How You Can Support Your Local Nail and Hair Salons Right NowThere are plenty of ways to help beauty businesses impacted by the ongoing pandemic.
Read more »
Middle East Broadcasters Scramble to Serve up Ramadan Soaps Amid PandemicBroadcasters across the Arab world are clambering to serve up Ramadan soaps as the coronavirus pandemic forces the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims to observe the Islamic calendar’s holy month at home r…
Read more »
New York's Cuomo calls politics 'hammer into the middle' of U.S. during pandemicNew York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday that he was hearing the 'music of a campaign season' in Washington's response to the coronavirus pandemic, warning that partisanship could drive a 'hammer into the middle of this country.'
Read more »
‘Parks and Recreation’ Co-Creator Mike Schur on Making the Reunion SpecialMaking half an hour of scripted, original television in the middle of a pandemic isn’t easy, but “Parks and Recreation” co-creator Mike Schur told press Tuesday that the current c…
Read more »