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Allenhurst,
NJ – April 2021 / Newsmaker Alert / It has been over a year
since New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy mandated non-essential businesses
to close their doors for the “foreseeable future” in an effort to curb
the spread of COVID-19. Restaurants, bars, nightclubs, retail stores, and
the like resorted to take-out and curbside pick-up to keep their businesses
afloat for what they believed would be a temporary two-week closure. Fast
forward one year since businesses reopened, and those that survived are
still battling capacity limits and heavy restrictions, preventing business
as usual from returning anytime soon.
At the beginning of the shutdowns,
Bielat Santore & Company launched
a weekly interview series, “Restaurant Rap,” becoming a sounding board
for restaurateurs to vocalize how their businesses were handling the state-wide
closures. In a new revival series, ‘How Ya Doin?’, Richard Santore, Vice
President of Bielat Santore & Company is checking in with these same
restaurateurs one year later.
For owner of seven MJ’s restaurants
in Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties, Angelo DiCapua, challenging
is an understatement to describe the past year for the hospitality industry.
“It’s kind of hard to believe a year has gone by,” said DiCapua. “So many
things have changed!” When Santore previously sat down with DiCapua in
the first installment of the “Restaurant Rap” series in April 2020, DiCapua
admitted his restaurants were relying heavily on to-go services as dining
rooms had been closed for over three weeks. While all locations have welcomed
customers back since, takeout and delivery continues to be a big help while
capacity is limited and bar seating remains off-limits. “We pay the bills
and we stay afloat at 50 percent [capacity],” said DiCapua. “What really
hurts us is on the weekends when you’re only seating 50 percent [capacity],
you can’t make ends meet.” Outdoor dining has also been a pleasant alternative
for customers itching to dine out again, which DiCapua claims has produced
some challenges. “You know you’re trying to chase your money, but when
it got cold and you can’t sit outside anymore, that was the real challenge,
said DiCapua.”
Support from the community
played a major role in helping restaurants survive, not just from customers,
but from fellow restaurant owners as well. DiCapua was also a member of
Bielat Santore & Company’s “Task Force”; a group comprised of multi-unit
restaurant operators to collaborate ideas, procedures, strategies, and
goals as they relate to the preparation for the reopening of restaurants
and other hospitality-based businesses in New Jersey. “To be a part of
that group was pretty cool because we had some great operators in there.
Guys and gals I always looked up to,” said DiCapua. “To hear them having
the same struggles as I was having, it was a great experience.”
With a post-COVID world getting
closer to reality, restaurateurs are eager for business to get back to
normal, but DiCapua isn’t getting his hopes up just yet. “We’re getting
by, and I don’t want to jump ahead, but I don’t see the bars getting back
to normal anytime soon,” said DiCapua. “I just don’t see anything happening
where it’s going to get better.”
To view the full video interview,
visit Bielat Santore & Company’s website at www.123BSC.com
and stay tuned for the next video of the ‘How Ya Doin?’ series.
About Bielat Santore &
Company
Bielat
Santore & Company is an established commercial real estate firm.
The company’s expertise lies chiefly within the restaurant and hospitality
industry, specializing in the sale of restaurants and other food and beverage
real estate businesses. Since 1978, the principals of Bielat Santore &
Company, Barry Bielat and Richard Santore, have sold more restaurants and
similar type properties in New Jersey than any other real estate company.
Furthermore, the firm has secured in excess of $500,000,000 in financing
to facilitate these transactions. Visit the company’s website, www.123BSC.com
for the latest in new listings, property searches, available land, market
data, financing trends, press releases and more.
Contact:
Courtney Ciandella
Bielat Santore & Company
732-531-4200 |
