We closed the Olamaie dining room March 15, 2020, to protect our staff and community from the coronavirus. It’s still closed. In a world where “personal responsibility” is bandied about as the primary means of mitigating the effects of this deadly virus, service workers are receiving it from their fellow citizens inadequately and inconsistently.
Some people continue to insist that the virus is harmless, and even worse, many exercise that belief on anyone unfortunate enough to be in their proximity by refusing to properly wear a mask or stay distanced. The desire to return to normalcy has become stronger than either scientific reasoning or empathy. If you are friendly with a service worker, please ask them how the last year has been. Don’t be surprised that they have lost much of their confidence in humanity.
The Centers for Disease Control website states, “Long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put many people from racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19.” The why is obvious: These are the people without the luxury of working from home. It’s the grocery store, utility, restaurant, and retail workers who make it possible for others to stay protected in their residences getting “sick of Zoom calls.” How do we prioritize the safety of the people tasked with keeping the system going?
The Payroll Protection Program and Economic Injury and Disaster Loans help keep employment possible, temporarily. But even with owner-enacted safety systems, the Small Business Administration cannot protect the health of in-person workers perpetually in contact with strangers. It should be the responsibility of said owners to provide a living wage and a safe work environment, but how can we stay safe from a virus playing Russian roulette?
The way to ensure the health and livelihoods of service industry people is through vaccination. Other places, like New York City, have made this prioritization. We should, too. So far, we’re not doing so well.
Vaccination equity should be 2021’s North Star.
Vaccination equity should be 2021’s North Star. What would it do for them, for us all? It would move our economy in the right direction. The service industry has been the hardest-hit by layoffs. People like myself – employing half of my former workforce – could hire back the highly skilled workers I was forced to furlough a year ago. The result would also be open dining rooms, where we honor birthdays, promotions, and anniversaries.
Workers could return to earning a living and making plans for their future. They could be relieved of the constant fear of not earning enough for rent or groceries, and of worrying their job may suddenly no longer exist. They get to not die, and not risk spreading the virus to compromised family members who could die. The dichotomy seems aggressive, no? Well, it’s been the entire service industry’s reality every day for a year.
The people I get to work with at Olamaie take on this challenge with grace, tenacity, and a responsibility to one another. Not only have we worked hard to protect each other, we have completely changed what we do. What was once a dining room where people gathered to celebrate is now a staging area for Little Ola’s Biscuits, a contactless biscuit shop with online ordering and curbside delivery. Servers who have formidable knowledge of cutting-edge winemaking are smiling behind masks as they walk to open trunks. Cooks who have aspirations to learn the distinct challenges of producing high-level food are happy to be making biscuit sandwiches in this “pivot.”
We are thrilled to have work. The positive feedback and kind words we have received from guests enable us to believe that better days are ahead. All the while, we are aware that there are many far less fortunate than we are. Our professional community has been decimated. With each passing week, beloved restaurants continue to shutter around us. The loss is immeasurable. From farmers and ranchers to purveyors and printers, every level of the hospitality industry is in the crosshairs.
Michael Fojtasek is executive chef and owner of Olamaie and Little Ola’s Biscuits.
This article appears in March 5 • 2021.