Below is a link to an interesting article from the New York Times about what some top chefs are saying about the state of the restaurant industry. Some interesting observations (and frankly, no small amount of whiny complaining). But make no mistake about it: the restaurant industry has changed dramatically since the pandemic, and my guess is that more change is coming. Two things occur to me as I read this.
First, Satchel's BBQ is capital "L" lucky to live in this community. Truly. As you read comments from these chefs, it sounds like some of them are at war with their customers. Wow. That is not how I want to spend my work day. And fortunately, I don't have to. All of the staff at Satchel's BBQ are so appreciative of the wonderful people who walk through out doors every day.
Second, I am so happy that we implemented a profit-sharing plan at Satchel's BBQ. For those who don't know, all the profits are split 50/50 between ownership and staff. And we have complete 100% transparency of all financial information (we meet monthly to review and discuss prior month's financials). In other words, a good day for me (the owner) is a good day for all the staff. And a bad day for me.....well, you get the idea. This is the type of change we need to embrace in the restaurant industry. We shouldn't be resisting increases in the minimum wage (thank you, Michigan Restaurants Association). We shouldn't be moaning and groaning about how difficult our customers can be. We should be thinking about sustainable ways to structure our businesses for long-term success for all its stakeholders.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/dining/chefs-state-of-the-restaurant-industry.html?smid=url-share
The summer months are by far our busiest time of year here at Satchel’s due to the increase in catering orders (grad parties, office picnics, weddings) and what I like to call the BBQ Holidays (Father’s Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day). These are busy and fun days for us. And frankly, pretty prosperous. As many of you know, we have a profit-sharing plan here at Satchel’s where all staff share in the company’s profits each month. And I am happy to say that June was a great month for all of us.
Another component of our “profitability” is gratuity. Our customers’ generosity never ceases to amaze me. Even on orders where gratuity is built into the bill (such as delivery and catering orders), folks email to ask how they can INCREASE the gratuity to a higher level. And the tip jar is always filled up on those BBQ Holidays such as Fourth of July when folks are so appreciative that we opened our doors on a day where most businesses are closed. The tips that you leave have become a truly important part of compensation here, so on behalf of our staff, I want to say THANK YOU. Tipping is not required—it is a choice. Thank you for choosing to support the staff here at Satchel’s.
I also wanted to provide a bit of info about where those tips go (and where they DON’T go), so that everyone has a clear understanding of what they are doing when they choose to leave a tip. And then provide a bit more info about tipping that you may (or may not) find helpful or interesting.
So we pool tips at Satchel’s. When we do payroll each week, all the tips are added up and divided evenly amongst the staff based on the number of hours worked. Ownership (me) does not participate in the tip pool. And when I say “divided evenly”, I mean evenly: the top of the totem pole and the bottom of the totem pole get the same amount per hour of work from the tip pool. And when I say “all of the tips” go into the tip pool, I mean exactly that. We do not skim any amount to cover employer payroll taxes or any type of bogus administrative fee that would go to ownership. Oh, and one other weird thing we do with tips: we include them in the regular payroll. In other words, all tips are reported to the IRS. No one gets any portion of their pay “under the table”. Why? Because enough of tax avoidance. Let’s just all pay our fair share.
To clarify, if you leave money in the tip jar at the restaurant, it goes into the tip pool. If there is a tip on your catering order, it goes into the tip pool. Online order for pickup? Into the tip pool. If you give your caterer an extra cash tip for the great job he or she did…..yep, that goes into the tip pool. The only thing that does not go into the tip pool is if you place an online order and use the DoorDash delivery system—in that case, the DoorDash driver gets the tip, not us (which by the way seems fair). And if you are wondering if anyone gets paid a “servers’ wage”, meaning a wage under the minimum wage (like a waiter or waitress at a sit-down restaurant), the answer is no.
Recently, I have noticed that many of our customers go out of their way to make sure that they leave a generous gratuity. And it got me thinking (not always a good thing). I got to thinking about how some of us make small gestures in the hope of creating big change. For instance, some relatives of mine down south, a young couple, decided to sell their house and move. When deciding upon a realtor, they made sure to interview at least one person of color. Long story short, they hired an African-American realtor who sold the house in a weekend (above “asking price”). Neighbors and friends were impressed and soon contacted the realtor about selling their own homes. Pretty cool story. My relatives asked a simply question: Given the racial history in our community, what can I do in my life to try in some small way to right some of the many, many wrongs? All I can say is, man, I wish I had thought of that.
OK. Back to tipping. I think part of what is going on is that some folks are asking the same type of question about income inequality. They are wondering what they can do about the growing disparity between the “haves” and the “have-nots”. They are “voting with your wallet” by leaving a generous gratuity to working folks, folks who ended up with the short end of the stick when it comes to work and wages in our society. Is this enough to shrink that disparity? Maybe not. Major change probably requires some pretty impressive and dramatic action by our national and state governments. And given our polarized political environment, that seems unlikely. But I love the idea that each of us has the opportunity to make small decisions in our daily life that seek to create a more just society. I am reminded of the Margaret Mead quote that I recently saw on a tour of the Food Gatherer’s facility here in Ann Arbor: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.”
We received this message recently from a long-standing customer. A nice reminder that despite some headaches and craziness, this is a fun job and we work with some great customers.
“I have used Satchel's a few different times now for catering events. The smallest one was for a work gathering. That was the first time I had even tried Satchel's. And it was then that I became hooked. The work gathering was for maybe 25 or less people. I never heard a single complaint from any of my colleagues. A few months later I was engaged and started to plan our wedding. I knew that I wanted Satchel's to cater another event for me but this one was going to be much bigger than the small work gathering that I had used them for the last time. And they did not disappoint when I needed them again! My husband and I are going to be celebrating our 10 year anniversary in October of this year and I'm not joking, people still rave about the food from our wedding and it happened A DECADE AGO! Last year, my daughter was graduating from highschool and we started to plan her graduation party. I tossed around several different ideas of what to have to eat but no matter what option I looked at, nothing compared to Satchel's so I once again reached out and had them cater the food for the graduation party. The entire process each time I work with them is amazing. The customer service is a step above others. I am forever a fan of Satchel's food and I will recommend them to anyone for a catering job whether it's a small intimate gathering or a larger party/event. The quality of the food is amazing and you will not be disappointed.
A friend of mine once said that just as 9/11 permanently changed airline travel in this country, the pandemic will have the same type of impact on the restaurant industry. At the time, he was talking about hygiene and sanitation, but the ripples from the Covid-19 outbreak extend farther. Think about the supply chain problems, the rising price of goods, the continued reluctance by many people to gather in public places like restaurants. And then there is the hiring. Man oh man...the hiring.
Finding and retaining folks in the food service industry has never been more difficult. At first (back in 2020), I figured it was a short-term problem having to do with the impact of extended unemployment benefits. But those benefits have long dried up, and yet the labor shortage continues. For whatever reason, lots of folks have simply decided that they are no longer willing to work in the hospitality industry: maybe it's the pay, or perhaps the work environment, or the availability of other jobs that offer "flexible work hours" (example: DoorDash driver). Whatever it is, something has changed. Think about all the places here in town that have reduced their business hours due to being short-staffed. It's kind of shocking how accustomed we have all become to that new reality.
Satchel's is not immune to these problems. For the most part, we have been lucky and had to do very little hiring. But when we have found ourselves in need of help over the last couple years, we have been shocked to receive NO RESPONSES to our job postings. None. To be honest, that has gotten better in the last couple months, but it is still much harder to hire now than it was at any time prior to the pandemic.
All of this has led me to wonder about the future of this business (and indeed this industry). How in the blue blazes is Satchel's going to survive if we cannot find anyone who wants to work here? Is it simply a matter of more money? I don't think so. But even if you accept that premise, then as anyone can tell you, there just ain't a whole lotta money out there in the restaurant industry. It is a very low margin business with few barriers to entry....all of which is a fancy way of saying that it doesn't pay much. Not to owners. And not to staff.
So we have tried something new this year at Satchel's. We share all profits 50/50 between ownership and staff. All financials are shared and discussed, and all business decisions are made (for the most part) collectively. Part of the logic here is to incentivize my current staff (all of whom are FANTASTIC!) to stay and grow old and die with me (ok, maybe not that long, but you get the idea). And I also like the idea of aligning everyone's interest: a good day for Satchel's BBQ is a good day for EVERYONE at Satchel's BBQ. But most of all, it seems like the right thing to do, especially in an environment where the traditional models of labor and management don't seem to be working. Let's try something new. Heck, it might even be fun (it is!)
So please know that when you choose to patronize Satchel's, you are not supporting just one person (that rather loud, overly-talkative old guy with the vaguely southern accent), or one family (that same guy, his wife and their two dogs). You are supporting all of those who work behind that counter. And more than that, you are supporting a new way of thinking about operating a business and a new way of treating those with whom we work.
There is a quiet revolution taking place in the world of BBQ. It started in Texas and appears to be spreading to other parts of the South. To understand the nature of the upheaval, let’s first provide a bit of background….
BBQ began in the deep south with the simple concept of preparing good food with affordable but difficult-to-cook cuts of meat (usually, pork butts). This is achieved through a long cooking process at low temperatures in wood-heated ovens. This “low-and-slow” cooking process, along with the smoke flavor from the wood, can transform fatty, tough proteins into some pretty darn good eating. All that is needed is a delicious sauce and some tasty sides. Pretty soon, every town south of the Mason-Dixon had at least one BBQ joint to brag about. And because they start with cuts of meat that are less desirable and hence more affordable, lots of folks in the community could afford to eat there.
And this gets to one of the best parts of BBQ: in addition to being “good eats”, it brings people from all walks of life together. Go to these places in Chattanooga or Jackson, MS or Columbia, SC, and look around, and ask yourself, is there any other type of eatery that attracts this type of racial and economic diversity? No. BBQ is unique in its appeal to all walks of life.
So far, so good. But now something is changing. If you go to some of the most popular BBQ places in Texas, especially in the Austin area, a new style of BBQ is emerging. No longer content to offer good food at a good price, these pitmasters aim higher. Much higher. For example, Franklin BBQ in Austin, Texas. A great place, owned and run by one of the best pitmasters in the world, Aaron Franklin. If you go, expect to wait three hours in line before being served. But when the wait is over and you are finally served, you will be eating some of the best brisket on God’s green earth. Aaron Franklin has perfected the art of preparing and cooking brisket and taken it to a whole new level. He, and others like him in the Texas BBQ community, are no longer content with making good eats out of cheap meats. Instead, they want to serve you the best meal of your life. If that sounds audacious and arrogant, so be it. But having eaten at Franklin’s and other Texas BBQ joints, I am here to tell you that they might be on to something. It is good. And not a guilty-pleasure, bag-of-Doritos kind of good. My meal at Franklin may have been one of the best meals I have ever eaten. Anywhere.
Are there some shortcomings? Sure. The wait seems unnecessary (hire another cashier please!) but I think that is part of the marketing strategy (long waits make for good internet copy). And the sauces and sides are not always great. But I think that misses the point. Something is happening here. Just as Starbucks absolutely revolutionized the way we drink coffee in this county (think of all the different coffee houses and the different coffee drinks that exist now that were nowhere to be found in the pre-Starbucks world), these pitmasters are trying to change the world of BBQ. These folks believe in cooking real food with real ingredients. They want to knock the socks off their customers with their food (and their service). And for the record, I love it! I love the food, I love the ambition….heck, I have a major man-crush on Aaron Franklin and recommend his YouTube videos to anyone and everyone. And yet….
I fear we are losing something here. I recently returned from a road trip to South Carolina where I ate at Lewis BBQ. John Lewis worked with Aaron Franklin in Austin and completely buys into this “new Texas” style of BBQ. And the meal was absolutely fantastic. I mean, really, really good. But when I looked around, I noticed that this didn’t really look like the big, wide, wonderful swath of humanity that I am accustomed to seeing at a BBQ place. To be blunt, it was almost completely white and appeared to be pretty well-heeled. Which kind of makes sense. These places tend to be more expensive (in large parts because everything is ordered a-la-carte), and as a result t is difficult to eat a full meal there for less than $20. But equally important, not everyone has the luxury of being able to wait in line for one, two or three hours.
In other words, there may be some unintended consequences to this BBQ revolution. Yes, the food is unbelievable. And the service at these places is great as well. But I fear when all is said and done, when we have waited in line and been served our food, and we take a moment to scan the community of patrons with whom we are sharing a meal, it looks like just another upscale eatery in America. Not the worst outcome in the world, but something has been lost.
So where does Satchel’s stand? No question about it: we absolutely buy into many of the tenets of this new revolution. We aspire to cook brisket the way it is being done in Austin and other parts of Texas. And we believe in using real ingredients to cook real food from scratch (no canned baked beans or jugs of store-bought BBQ sauce). But we don’t aspire to make anyone wait three hours (!) for their food. And we want to offer a menu for the working people in our community who are hoping to spend around $10 for a meal. In other words, we seek a middle ground between the old and new guard of BBQ. Wish us luck.
As we ring in 2023, we would like to wish you the very best for the new year. At Satchel's, we are genuinely excited. After two years of pandemic life, things seem to be returning back to (a new version of) normal. Perhaps not exactly the same as before, but close enough. It feels like we have a new lease on life. I hope you share our optimism.
Years ago, a friend asked if I still got nervous every day we opened for business, if I worried that this would be the day when no one would show up and we would be left wondering about our future. My answer is an emphatic YES! And every day when folks like you show up for lunch or dinner or place an online order or get a catering quote, I feel sweet relief and realize that in Andrew Lloyd Webber's words, we have lived "one day more". Even now, 12 years after opening, it still feels like magic.
All of which is to say, yeah, there are a million-and-one options out there. And yeah, a lot of them are really good. So thank you for putting us on your places-to-eat list. On behalf of the entire staff, we are grateful for the opportunity and look forward to serving you in the coming year.
For over ten years, Satchel’s has been providing delicious BBQ at grad parties throughout our community. We have seen it all: snow, sweltering heat, wind, rain, too many people, too few people. If you find yourself hosting such an event this Spring, here are some lessons we have learned that might be of assistance.
How Much is Enough? Let’s talk about portions. This is a tough question because there are so many unknowns in planning a grad party. You may not know the exact headcount (does anyone RSVP any more!?), lots of folks may come for a short visit during which they eat nothing, other parties may be happening at the same time which may reduce attendance, and if the weather is bad…well, you get the idea. At the end of the day, you have to somehow come up with the best guesstimate possible for headcount, and then plan from that number. But once you have that number, keep in mind that most high school grad parties are “grazing” events where few guests do any serious eating. Instead of trying to provide folks with a meal, think about providing them with a snack. Snacks are smaller (about half the size of a meal) and simpler (fewer items: one or two main dishes and two side dishes). If you are one of those people who stresses about running out of food, then of course you can portion a full meal for all possible attendees. But you will likely end up with a lot (and I mean a lot) of leftovers.
One complicating variable: out-of-town relatives and friends who came in for the party. These folks have no place else to go and they will eat. So adjust your quantities accordingly. For this reason, if you are planning a college grad party (which tend to have more out-of-town guests), you might want to plan for a full meal for everyone.
Some Like It Hot (what a movie!). Actually, pretty much everyone likes their food hot. Which brings us to the wonderful world of chafing dishes. These can be a bit of a pain to deal with. Depending upon the conditions (see “Blowin’ in the Wind” below), they may not keep the food very hot. Or if they are working properly, over time, the food can start to look dried out and unappetizing. Unfortunately, if your party is fairly large (over 50 people) and/or your guests will be arriving over a long period of time (as opposed to everyone eating promptly at a specific time), you have to use chafing dishes to keep the food warm while folks come and go. So use them. But like the Force, use them wisely. Rules to follow: (1) don’t put food in chafing dishes until folks are ready to eat. Use a warm oven instead to keep food warm for long periods of time, (2) try to put only enough food in chafing dishes to last about 30-45 minutes, then refill as needed, (3) if food starts looking unappetizing (because it has dried out), get rid of it and put some fresh food in the chafing dish.
A small but important detail for those using the wire chafing racks that can be purchased at Sam’s, Costco or one of GFS stores. In terms of keeping the food hot, they work just as well as fancy, stainless steel chafing dishes. But you must use half size pans only in those racks, not full size pans. I will spare you the details---just trust me on this.
Blowin’ In the Wind. If you are having an outdoor party and using chafing dishes and it’s windy, you got problems. In an unsheltered area (no walls), those chafing dishes aren’t going to work very well. The wind will blow the flames for the fuel canisters horizontally and the pans of water will never get hot. Here’s what you can do about that problem: not much. Your only option is to somehow find an indoor or sheltered location for the buffet line.
Here Comes the Sun. Or maybe not. We all hope for beautiful warm weather for our party, but it’s Spring and it’s Michigan. It may be cold. It may rain. It may be windy. You need to have a plan. And as the saying goes, “hope” is not a plan. Typically, folks either move the party inside the house (or into the garage) or rent a walled tent (but these sell out quickly on the busy graduation weekends in June).
Now For A Word From Our Sponsor! Yes, it’s “shameless self-promotion” time. Satchel’s would LOVE to cater your party. We can prepare the food, deliver it to your location, and even provide catering services for the event. Just let us know how we can help. Interested? Get a quote by clicking here, and rest assured that help is on the way.
Delivery services like DoorDash and GrubHub have become part of the restaurant landscape. Many local restaurants (and virtually all of the large chain restaurants) rely on these services for additional business and greater visibility. Others see these services as venture-backed vultures who chew into the meager profit margins of independent restaurants and are ultimately hurting the overall restaurant community. At Satchel’s, we think there is a role for these services, but only under certain conditions and only for certain types of restaurants.
It helps to understand how these companies make money. When you place an order on DoorDash or GrubHub, you typically pay a set of fees (delivery fee, service fee, processing fee, etc.), all of which go to the delivery service. As a result, if you purchase $30 worth of food, after all the fees (and sales tax), the total bill may be over $40. In addition, the delivery services charge the restaurant a series of fees (marketing fee, merchant processing fee) that usually add up to between 20%-30% of each order amount. So using that same example, when you place an order for $30 worth of food, and your total bill exceeds $40, the restaurant will only receive around $21-$24. Sounds crazy, right? This may help explain why some restaurants choose not to use delivery services. It also may explain why some restaurants have a “tiered” pricing: one for in-house orders and another higher price for delivery services.
In addition to the cost, working with these services pose some operational challenges. When orders are placed on the DoorDash or GrubHub platform, most restaurants have to re-enter the information in their own computer system (increasing the likelihood that an error is made). And if there is an error or problem with the order, or a refund needs to be issued, it is a pain. You first need to call the Help Desk of the delivery service, which then in turn coordinates any refund or corrected order with the restaurant. Sound messy? It is.
The only thing to keep in mind is that these delivery services do offer some marketing power. Many people may find a new restaurant using DoorDash that they otherwise would have never discovered. Indeed, many consumers choose the delivery service before they choose the restaurant. So if your business is not on that delivery service, then those customers will never find you.
Having said all that, paying 20-30% for a third-party delivery service is simply too expensive for many restaurants, especially those which have high food costs. Which brings us to Satchel’s. If you go to a pizza place, you are mostly eating a lot of pizza dough (pretty low food cost). If you go to a Thai place, you likely will be eating a lot of rice (again, pretty low food cost). Pasta? Yeah, pretty inexpensive. At a BBQ restaurant, the “center of the plate” is meat, which is expensive. So giving up 20-30% of revenue is tough to make work. You may find yourself losing money on each individual sale but hoping to make it up in volume (think about it….that doesn’t work).
We have used DoorDash in the past, simply because they have agreed to keep their total fees to 20%. No other service has agreed to do that (not GrubHub, not UberEats). But even that “low” fee makes it hard; twenty per cent off the top is a big hit to the bottom line. For that reason, when we get busy and worry about running out of food, the first thing we do is shut down our DoorDash platform.
Our new delivery service is offered through our merchant processing company, Square. Odds are you have seen Square at coffee shops and eateries throughout town. I like them (something I have never, ever said about any other merchant processing company, which is in general a fairly odious business). The company has fair pricing and provides excellent customer support. For delivery, they charge the consumer a $6.99 delivery fee (this is about the same as all other delivery services for smaller orders and quite a bit less for larger orders) and they charge the restaurant $1.50 for each order. Quite a bit less 20-30% of the total bill. And here’s the weird part….they subcontract to the same delivery services (DoorDash, GrubHub). My guess is that they have used their size and marketing power to negotiate a far better deal from these companies than any individual restaurant could manage on their own. To which I say, thank you very much!
Having said all that, we will see how this goes. For those who choose to use the delivery service, please let us know how you liked it (email us at feedback@satchelsbbq.com). As for the rest of you, we look forward to seeing your smiling face at the restaurant.
My Mom and Dad LOVE this dish….which of course means that I love making this dish. I honestly think I stumbled upon this recipe on a label of peach chutney that was given to me as a gift for being a groomsman at a friend’s wedding. But I cannot imagine any wedding in the deep South (where I grew up) in which groomsman would be given jars of peach chutney. At this late stage of life, there is way too much water under the bridge to piece together the “where’s” and the “when’s”….let’s just enjoy this fantastic mixture of flavors.
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs Satchel’s smoked chicken (you can use your own baked or grilled chicken but the smokey flavor is nice)
1 cup mayo
2 stalks celery diced
1/4 cup Major Gray’s Mango Chutney (check condiment aisle at Kroger or Meijer) (one day, I hope to meet Major Gray…he must be a great, great man)
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 toasted sliced almonds
salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS: Pretty simple directions…..just mix everything together. Add more mayo, curry and salt to taste.
There are a million variations you can try (add finely chopped onion, add scallions, try it with some mustard, how about a bit of lemon juice, use a different style of curry powder, make your own curry powder…the list goes on) but my favorite is straight-up with minor adjustments to mayo, curry, and salt as needed.
And for those of you who are trying to avoid mayo, two things. First, my God, I am so, so sorry. Is life even worth living? Second, you can substitute greek yogurt and it will still be pretty yummy. Enjoy!
Every now and then I run into a fellow restaurant-owner somewhere around town, maybe at the GFS store or perhaps at the bank. After an exchange of pleasantries, there is typically a confession of current business operations (usually awful) followed by an exchange of rumors about other colleagues in the business (who’s closing, who’s retiring, who’s missing) and ending with conjecture about how long this will continue (none of us have any idea). These experiences have led me to offer some unsolicited advice, aimed primarily (but not exclusively) to fellow independent restaurateurs, about lessons learned during this “Year Of The Virus”. It would be great if this stimulated some type of dialogue within the industry, but I have no illusions about the size of my readership (that’s ok…I prefer quality to quantity, and if you are reading this, you are high-quality, grade-A in my book). So here goes….
The best way to ensure the long-term happiness of all the members of your business’ community (customers, staff, vendors, etc.) is to survive. Things are tough out there and they will likely worsen. Winter is coming, which might make the virus more lethal and definitely will make outdoor seating more difficult. And who knows when we will have access to an effective vaccine? Plan for a long duration in the wilderness. This may require tough decisions (raising prices, reduce staffing, limiting menu options, taking [another] pay-cut), but somehow, some way, you have to find a way to live to fight another day.
Have there been some painful, difficult decisions that you have been putting off for years? Now might be the time to bite the bullet and do what needs to be done. As a personal example, I closed our second location about two and a half years after opening. I had been hoping that somehow I could make that operation work, but once I saw the severity of the pandemic, the long-term health of the entire business (again, survival!) had to take precedence.
If you haven’t already done so, embrace the online menu platform. And make it easy-to-use. Don’t overpopulate it with menu items – no one wants to order food from something that looks like the Rosetta Stone. Keep it simple with nice pictures and a fairly small number of options. And test it out with friends and loved ones.
Keep on keepin’ on. The pandemic seems to have left some businesses paralyzed. They haven’t re-opened, their website doesn’t give a clear indication of what services they offer, the signage around the storefront is confusing. I get it. When the pandemic first hit, Satchel’s closed for two weeks. I was scared and wasn’t sure what the right thing to do was. But I ultimately decided that sitting on the sidelines (sorry for the sport metaphor) is not a good long-term strategy. Find a way to make it work: offer curbside service, offer delivery, offer online service. Do SOMETHING to keep your operations going and your staff employed.
Be forgiving … of yourself, of your staff, of your family, of everyone. We are all doing the best we can. Remember when Dr. Fauci (one of my heroes) and the CDC were initially unsure of the importance of wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus? They eventually figured it out. It just took a bit of time. Every day, we are all being called upon to make similar decisions, with unclear information and in unusual circumstances. We will make mistakes and it will be frustrating. But don’t start burning bridges. After all, Dr Fauci has turned out to be a pretty invaluable dude.
One final piece of advice for folks everywhere, both in and outside of the restaurant business: please wear a mask and stay safe.