Market Watch, Summer 2020

SUMMER 2020 MARKETW ATCHMAG COM MARKET WATCH 25 PHOTOS BY AISLING CO summer Honey Salt Blaus Summerlin property has been open since mid May That concept was offering takeout and delivery during lockdown and opened its doors to on premise dining at 50 capacity as soon as it was permitted Half the tables in Honey Salt were removed upon reopening and hosts and servers wear facemasks Stuffed bears donning masks are holding court on each bar stool as bar seating remained closed at press time The customers whove come in have been so appreciative to be out of their homes and back in the restaurant says Blau She notes that Honey Salt got creative during lockdown offering a variety of takeout and delivery options with wine beer and cocktails as well as online cooking demonstrations and other virtual events The restaurant also took part in Delivering With Dignity a Las Vegas effort that helped deliver more than 35000 meals to those in need within the community It was incredibly eerie seeing The Strip with the lights on but literally nobody home Blau says noting that Las Vegas 42 million annual visitors sustain the citys economy We thrive on convention business and many have been canceled through the fall and winter Its scary to think about our ability to recover economically While people have been supportive the financial model of operating at 50 capacity even for a short time is untenable The restaurant industry landscape will look dramatically different over the next few months Solitary Struggles Chef Emeril Lagasse operates three properties on the Las Vegas Strip in MGM Grand and The Venetian All were shuttered in March and are now open with limited capacity Lagasse also has four venues in New Orleans that were still closed at press time as well as locations in Florida and Pennsylvania all of which remained closed This has changed the world Lagasse said recently on Straight Talk With Wine Spectator via Instagram Live adding that his company was waiting it out but is eager to reopen In the interim Lagasses New Orleans restaurants have been providing 1200 1800 weekly meals to the citys doctors nurses and first responders Were being patient he added We have to wait We talk to our team every day Everybody wants to go back to work For Danny Meyer founder and CEO of New York City based Union Square Hospitality Group Covid 19 hit close to home as one of his former chef partners Floyd Cardoz an international restaurateur who helmed the restaurant Tabla with Meyer for 12 years died from Covid 19 on March 25 Union Square Hospitalitys 20 plus venues first shuttered on March 13 From a business standpoint we were just thinking about bringing our chefs back to cook for the community when Cardoz died Meyer told Wine Spectator in mid May His death stopped us When Floyd passed away we made the decision not to try anything While Union Squares Daily Provisions Blue Smoke Battery Park Marta and Tacococina venues are now open for takeout or delivery and Union Square Cafe is offering wine pickup Meyers says the higher end full service restaurants will take much longer to recover The thing were best at is gathering people and were not supposed to do that right now Meyer said Its very frustrating Well get back though This has changed the world were waiting it out but eager to reopen We have to wait We talk to our team every day Everybody wants to go back to work Emeril Lagasse Emerils Restaurants While all of Emeril Lagasses venues in Las Vegas New Orleans Florida and Pennsylvania closed during the Covid 19 lockdowns the chefs New Orleans locations have been providing meals to doctors nurses and first responders throughout the city pictured above left and right