Host Intro (not included in the recording):
Over the course of the pandemic, much of the economic pain was felt by restaurants. The New York City Hospitality Alliance says that there are about 25,000 bars and restaurants in New York City alone and in 2020 about 5,000 of those closed. Despite this, Javier Zuniga spoke to a couple of individuals who said that their restaurants are thriving, lets see what they did.
Track 1:
I’m here with Woo Song Chung, a senior at Stony Brook University who has worked throughout the entirety of the pandemic at a Korean fried chicken restaurant called Bonchon Chicken. Just like many other essential workers, Woo Song had to work out of necessity in order to pay for her living and college expenses. As Woo [Song] begins to talk the door dash bell goes off, signifying a new order that just came in.
Ambi 1:
Door Dash bell ringing
Act 1: Woo Song
I grew up in Korea, but I immigrated with my family back when I was around 8 years old and at some point, they went back and even though they have supported me financially for a couple of years I decided it was time to become more independent and support myself. And I also have to pay for my college tuition which is why I decided to continue working despite everything that is going on.
Track 2:
She recalls what it was like commuting to work during the height of the pandemic and how New York City is slowly shifting back to normal.
Ambi 2:
Sound from food being packaged.
Act 2: Woo
I remember when I was commuting to work, I would have to take the bus and the train and I would just not see anyone there and it was really surprising to see because I have never seen New York City like that. And also as a woman, it was really scary because anything can happen to you and no one would know since nobody is outside. But it’s good to see that now that the restrictions are being eased a little more people are outside, so I feel more safe now.
Track 3:
The unemployment rate peaked at 14.8% in April 2020 which shows the severity of the disruption on people’s finances. While Woo Song was fortunate enough to keep her job in the restaurant industry, she still felt the financial impact that Covid has had on her.
Act 3: Woo
Back when things were normal, I would make a large percentage of my pay from tips. But since indoor dining closed, I wasn’t able to make that much money and my bosses saw this and they gave us raises for the time being which is something that we all really appreciated because everyone else [was] losing their jobs and having a difficult time, but this is something that made me more loyal to my boss because they took care of us when we needed it the most.
Track 4:
With indoor dining closed, the restaurant had to adapt by implementing covid precautions and relying on online sales.
Ambi 3:
Receipt machine and phone going off, as well as background noise from kitchen staff
Act 4: Woo
Surprisingly, we actually hit record sales during the pandemic, and I think one of the reasons why is because we were one of the few stores that were actually opened during the whole time. And throughout the pandemic, we tried to make things easier for our customers through more online orders, we also offered curbside pickup and we constantly tried to sanitize everything.
Track 5:
I also spoke with Veraya Peechaphand who helps manage her family’s restaurant called Mee Thai Cuisine in Park Slope Brooklyn. They have experienced an unexpected rise in sales during Covid which is contrary to the narrative we hear about how restaurants are doing today.
Act 5: Veraya
With restrictions in place and outdoor dining being more unprofitable, we started relying more on online orders. We already had Grubhub and Seamless, but we also had to sign up for Uber Eats and Door Dash. Doing this allowed us to thrive during the pandemic since our food is takeout friendly and we’re optimistic on our outlook as restrictions are lifted.
Track 6:
The jobs of many essential workers entail having direct contact with the public, which puts them at a greater risk of catching the virus. Despite this, Bonchon Chicken has remained covid free.
Act 6: Woo
No one caught covid, but a couple of people did have scares. One of the employees actually her family caught Covid so she also made sure to quarantine herself and get tested before coming back to work, but yeah thankfully no one has caught it yet and hopefully no one will catch it and everyone should stay safe.
Track 7:
Having witness New York City at its worst, the easing of restrictions provides Woo Song with glimmers of hope of a return to normalcy.
Act 7: Woo
Last week we actually opened up indoor dining again because the restrictions have been lifted. So, we have been getting more customers so it’s keeping me busy, but it’s still not as much as before since there is more competition around. Regardless of that I’m still really happy to have a job and [I am] really glad that everyone is staying safe.
Track 8:
Woo Song will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in biology and intends on going back to school in hopes of becoming a registered nurse. For Baruch College, I’m Javier Zuniga.