As the statewide shelter in place enters its second week, local restaurants are feeling the pain.
“We are getting orders, but definitely slow,” said Wicked Chicken owner Matt McClean via email.
McClean’s restaurant is just across the street from the Santa Clara University campus. The campus sent students home in early March and closed all residence halls and neighborhood housing on March 17.
McClean is working long hours with just one employee, trying to fill whatever orders come in.
Longtime Santa Clara staple, Mio Vicino, is also doing its best in a tough situation. Owner Sean Caldwell said the last few weeks have been tough.
“My main concern is the employees. We had to basically let everybody go so they could claim unemployment and then hopefully come back when this thing goes away,” said Caldwell.
Caldwell is working the restaurant with his general manager and chef. His history in the location has helped. He says both of his landlords have been very good, working with him during this tough time. The support from the community has also helped.
“The community’s been awesome, I’ve been there 28 years, people have been supportive. It’s not crazy, but enough to stay afloat hopefully,” said Caldwell. “Hopefully we can sustain and just take care of the community.”
Nearby Fiorillo’s has also seen positive support from the community so far.
“The response has been good from our local community which has been very generous with leaving a gratuity for our staff to split as an extra bonus for them as well,” said Michael Fiorillo via email. “We are in the process of working with city officials to donate food for the elderly as well. It’s nice to see our community come together.”
In Sunnyvale, Dishdash is offering curbside pickup at a majority of its locations, but the loss of dine-in revenue has hurt.
“Slowly, slowly having a little bit of business with people realizing we have been open for curbside pickup,” said Nadiah Mshasha, who co-owns the Dishdash’s six Bay Area restaurants with her husband, Emad Ibrahim. “We had a significant, significant drop since we’re not seating customers in the restaurant. We have totally revamped and changed our operations to accommodate the major change in flow of customers.”
Dishdash is available for phone and online orders, as well as delivery through DoorDash and Uber Eats. Website: www.dishdash.com
Mio Vicino is open seven days a week from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for carryout and via DoorDash. Website: miovicino-santaclara.com
Fiorillo’s is open for phone orders and through DoorDash. Website: www.fiorillos.com
Wicked Chicken is open from 10:30 a.m. to midnight daily and open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Website: wickedchickenwings.com