{"id":2458320,"date":"2020-05-11T22:15:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T04:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=325595"},"modified":"2020-05-12T07:03:19","modified_gmt":"2020-05-12T13:03:19","slug":"an-uncertain-summer-awaits-aspen-restaurants-tough-decision-could-come-by-the-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/an-uncertain-summer-awaits-aspen-restaurants-tough-decision-could-come-by-the-fall\/","title":{"rendered":"An uncertain summer awaits Aspen restaurants; tough decision could come by the fall"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"598\" height=\"620\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/food-atw-081519.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/food-atw-081519.jpg 598w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/08\/food-atw-081519-289x300.jpg 289w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 598px) 100vw, 598px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Chef Adam Norwig addresses the first Oni Aspen chef\u2019s table on July 23.<\/strong><br \/><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">Home Team BBQ and Cache Cache are popular Aspen gathering spots with the same co-owner, so the restaurants have a few things in common.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For some of March, all of April and now into May, they also have been initiated by fire into Aspen\u2019s fraternity of restaurants and bars now staring at a summer tourism season that will see limited seating at best, while there will be no marquee events such as the Food &amp; Wine Classic, the Aspen Ideas Festival, and classical and popular\/jazz music festivals, <a id=\"N0x1afe920N0x1a07ca0:N0x1afe920N0x1a2f2d8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/jazz-aspen-labor-day-experience-postponed-to-2021\/\">including the JAS Labor Day Experience<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Cache Cache, a fine-dining restaurant with a lively social scene, had to close ahead of its previously scheduled offseason break starting April 11. Home Team, a locals-friendly establishment that normally stays open year-round, also temporarily shut its doors after a brief stint doing to-go orders after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis shut down in-person dining March 16.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Without offering the complete dining experience for patrons \u2014 enjoying the atmosphere and social scene, as well as the food and drink \u2014 the restaurants simply cannot live up to their potential if the public health orders extend into the summer, said Chris Lanter, an Aspen chef who co-owns each restaurant.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe problem is we thrive on being social businesses and packing them in,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ve both created this vibration and atmosphere and ambiance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While Cache Cache remains closed like it has been in previous Mays, Home Team resumed take-out service May 1, \u201cjust to get some time behind us and just to see what happens,\u201d Lanter said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The first weekend of business was solid, Lanter said, and it was nice to see old customers \u2014 even if just for take-out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cEven though we\u2019re all wearing masks, it\u2019s good to see all of our friends,\u201d Lanter said. \u201cIt\u2019s starting to feel different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Lanter was speaking Thursday morning, hours before the Pitkin County Board of Health declared its intent to seek a variance to a state health order by allowing restaurants to open a maximum customer capacity of 30% on May 20, one week ahead of the May 27 date on the state\u2019s schedule.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The board still needs approval from the Pitkin Board of County Commissioners and Aspen Valley Hospital\u2019s board of directors to seek state approval of an early opening.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI think it\u2019s important for restaurants to watch the safety of their employees and customers, but I also think it\u2019s important for us to find a balance with keeping the ball rolling a little bit, from an economic standpoint,\u201d said Rob Ittner, a former Pitkin County commissioner and Aspen restaurateur. Ittner has been sitting in Aspen Chamber Resort Association board meetings and health board meetings in a business consultant role.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Expanded yet restricted outdoor dining in downtown Aspen, social-distancing requirements and limited indoor seating are just a few ways eating out will not be the same as the pre-pandemic days.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cEverything is so new,\u201d Lanter said of the possibilities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Restaurants, like all industries, are grappling with multiple challenges ranging from the financially daunting to keeping their employees healthy and not infecting customers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A poll conducted by Washington Post-University of Maryland showed the majority of the public is not ready to dine out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">To one question \u2014 \u201cDuring the coronavirus outbreak, most states have restricted the types of businesses that can operate. In your opinion, should your state allow (dine-in restaurants) to be open now, or not?\u201d \u2014 74% of the respondents said yes, and the remaining 26% responded no.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Another 78% of the poll\u2019s respondents said they would feel \u201cuncomfortable\u201d eating out, while the remaining 22% said they would feel \u201ccomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Ittner said he expects the summer to tell the tale. There will be more layoffs and cuts, he predicted, with owners taking on more work if there isn\u2019t a major turnaround in public health orders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cYou will see restaurants where the owner is directly involved if they maintain their operation,\u201d Ittner said. \u201cThe owner can work harder and reduce costs. \u2026 If I still owned Rustique and if I had to unfortunately cut half the management and staff, then I would and do the work myself and work 80 hours a week. I\u2019ve got the most to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A financial forecast by the city\u2019s Finance Department also sees an 50% decline in business for restaurants and bars in May, 70% in June, 50% in July, and 30% in August.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Numerous Aspen businesses have capitalized on the Paycheck Protection Program, but that money will go only so far, cautioned Jimmy Yeager, the owner of Jimmy\u2019s: An American Restaurant &amp; Bar, and his business partner, Jessica Lischka, <a id=\"N0x1afe920N0x1a07d00:N0x1afe920N0x1a2fe18\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/opinion\/guest-commentary-reopening-must-happen-soon-or-decisions-will-have-to-be-made\/\">in an opinion piece published May 6<\/a> in The Aspen Times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe need at least two weeks to work through the seemingly impossible task of creating a viable business with 50% occupancy,\u201d they wrote. \u201cWe need runway length to gear up, work on systems in real time and implement strategies. We need to know that we can survive on a reduced occupancy in the event that restrictions do not loosen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">At a recent ACRA meeting, Ittner said restaurant owners should be exploring all business options, which could include declaring bankruptcy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Public pressure also is mounting for landlords to adjust their rents in a time of crisis; some already have.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThere will likely be a point for every independent restaurant in this community,\u201d Ittner said, \u201cprobably September or October, where they are going to be forced to make a decision, and that decision is: Do I put $100,000 into my business to keep going or do I walk away from the investment I\u2019ve already sunk in?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Lanter said he tries to stay upbeat and focused though there\u2019s no sugarcoating the challenges ahead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIf we\u2019re all working together as one community,\u201d he said, \u201cwe will survive this ordeal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:rcarroll@aspentimes.com\">rcarroll@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/an-uncertain-summer-awaits-aspen-restaurants-tough-decision-could-come-by-the-fall\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chef Adam Norwig addresses the first Oni Aspen chef\u2019s table on July 23. Home Team BBQ and Cache Cache are popular Aspen gathering spots with the same co-owner, so the restaurants have a few things in common. For some of March, all of April and now into May, they also have been initiated by fire [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2458320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-17 17:20:55","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2458320"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2458327,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458320\/revisions\/2458327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}