Hamilton brunch spot Motel on how they’re coping with COVID-19
- Craig Clark
- 18 Apr 2020
Hamilton brunch hotspot Motel has experienced a lot of changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, but restaurant owner Chris Hewitt says they’re staying optimistic and positive during these uncertain times.
Motel has been serving modern brunch dishes with an 80s Miami vibe for almost three years, in which the Barton Street restaurant has continued to see an overwhelming amount of success and popularity among Hamiltonians.
However, like all other restaurants, they were forced to close their pink and palm-tree-clad dining room and switch to a takeaway model after the province ordered all sit-down restaurants to either close up shop or switch to delivery and takeout temporarily in response to the novel coronavirus. As a restaurant that was known more for their atmosphere and attractively-plated brunch dishes than their take-out, they had to reimagine their menu.
“We have absolutely pivoted a lot during this situation,” said Hewitt. “We have expanded take-out and delivery immensely, created brunch packages so that we can bring not only food to our guests but the experience as well.”
On most weekends before the shutdown, Motel was pretty much guaranteed to have a sizeable line-up of customers waiting eagerly for a table. The biggest change the restaurant has seen amid COVID-19 is, as anyone might guess, the overall volume of business.
“We are doing less business, but also have controlled our overhead. We got ahead of it, so as long as we stay steady and manage our costs, then we will get through this.”
Managing the restaurant’s costs has been the key for Hewitt to have a better chance of Motel successfully re-emerging from these unprecedented times. This includes taking advantage of the financial support being offered to small businesses by the provincial government.
Hewitt said they will be using the government help with wage subsidies to be able to afford bringing some staff back to work whenever it’s safe to do so. They will also make use of some of the funding to strengthen their business, and have spoken to their landlord in order to make a plan during the closure.
Local collaboration has also been important in maintaining customers. Motel has been working with other local businesses to ensure that the restaurant can continue helping the community and feeding people during the shutdown.
At the beginning of the closures, Motel worked with their local food suppliers to offer grocery packages filled with pantry staples such as eggs, flour, and milk.
“It looked like people were having a difficult time getting produce and certain basics,” said Hewitt.
“This wasn’t a money-maker for us, but we used it to keep stock rotating, help our community stay home, and continue to support our local suppliers.”
Though a restaurant not all that accustomed to take-out, Motel has temporarily pivoted to a new world of delivery and curb-side pick-up. They have made some key changes to their menu in order for some items to travel better between the restaurant and the customer at home. Hewitt says it’s all about being as prepared as possible.
“I think it is super important to plan for this to last a while. We want to plan as much as we can for a scenario that won’t be back to normal quickly. If we get back to normal sooner, we can consider it a bonus, but it never hurts to be prepared.”
Although the bright fluorescent lights of the dining room will remain turned off for now, Motel – and other local restaurants like it – have taken many steps to ensure that the lights will glow and the tables will fill up again on the other side of this crisis.
Lead image courtesy of @motelhamilton
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