Shanahan's Is Making Food Safety A Top Priority With Patio Dining

About nine weeks ago I interviewed Rich Moore, Owner and Founder of Shanahan’s Food & Spirits in Woodridge, Il. Today I will continue that interview as the State of Illinois enters Phase III - Outdoor Dining.

Q: So Rich, how has Shanahan’s survived the Covid-19 shutdown?

There is not a business in town that could have prepared for what we are experiencing as a result of the Corona virus. As you know, Shanahan’s just celebrated 20 years in business in January and we feel blessed to operate our family business in this great community. We have faced many challenges as a small business over the years, and even faced times when we thought we might not survive. With relentless hard work, creativity and the help of our great Village, we have always been able to keep our doors open. The COVID-19 pandemic is by far the most devastating challenge we have faced. Many small businesses like ours received no rent abatement and our fixed expenses remained the same and our food costs are going through the roof. Most dine in restaurants could not survive on carryout business alone. We are very grateful for the Phase III opportunity to serve our community by offering outdoor dining beginning this Friday, May 29th.

Q: How did the Covid-19 shutdown compare to the economic recession of 2009 as it applies to your restaurant?

Covid-19 is not the first pandemic we experienced in the United States. In 1918 it was H1N1, in 1957 H2N2, in 1968 H3N2, in 2009 it was H1N1 again. In 1968 the H3N2 virus took the lives of about 100,000 individuals in the US and over a million worldwide. During that period-of-time, no businesses were shut down and life went on with certain modifications. I’m not undermining the significant threat of the Corona virus, but I am criticizing the role that state government is taking as we begin to recover from this deadly virus. It is important to note that all of these pandemics have changed the way we live our lives and each individual needs to take responsibility for their personal health and wellness as they have in the past. None of these viruses ever go away completely. Medicines and vaccines will play a role in our recovery. But shelter in place is not the answer. Ben Franklin had it right when he said and I quote, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” We must all do our part as we have in the past. Wash our hands, wear a face mask in public, and practice social distancing . In 2009 businesses remained open and there was no governmental help like the “PPP”, so most small businesses had to secure their own financing in order to survive the recession. I believe that most people are ready to leave their shelter in-place and be responsible to follow the governmental guidelines as restaurants begin to reopen.

Q: What steps have you taken in order to reopen your outside dining this Friday?

Our staff is excited to come back to work. Shanahan’s is prepared and ready to serve you safely. Our employees have completed the Covid-19 safety training. We have hired the Chicagoland Disinfectant Company to professionally clean and disinfect our physical space. We have moved our tables to accommodate for social distancing. We have implemented all safety measures as required by the CDC and the State of Illinois for more details please go to our website www.shanahanspub.com

Q: As you prepare for Phase IV procedures what do you expect to happen?

In our opinion, our governor has overstepped his authority with his plan to lump various counties together, penalizing the counties with lower risks. If small businesses are required to follow the current map outlined by the governor and his stages of reopening, we will have a lot of bankrupt restaurants in Woodridge and the state of Illinois. We believe most small restaurants cannot survive on a 50% reopening schedule. We are hopeful that customers will follow proper protocol and we will see no spike in the Coronavirus numbers. Hopefully the Governor will allow restaurants to open for inside dining with no restrictions. Another big hope is that there will be no restrictions for those restaurants offering video gaming as that income plays an important role in their survival.

Q: How has the Village of Woodridge helped you to prepare for reopening?

A big thank you State Senator John Curran for his untiring efforts to achieve a Phase III opening. I also wish to thank Mayor Gina Cunningham and the entire Village Board for working relentlessly to help small business in our community. Their entire staff led by Al Stonitsch, Peggy Halik and the Chief of Police Brian Cunningham have provided our business community with guidelines to reopen safely. I would be amiss if I didn't recognize the efforts of Village Trustee Mike Krucek and the other Village Board Trustees who were very supportive in helping us get to this phase of re-opening. They always asked the right questions from small business owners and responded by taking quick decisive actions so that we can open safely on a timely basis.

Every single sale makes a difference to a small business like ours. We ask that the community continue to support these small restaurants as they begin to reopen. Although we are open for outside dining we look forward to a time when the public will be confident that it is safe to get back to normal - whatever that means. We are ready to go back to work and serve our customers safely. Our Patio Dining area will accommodate up to 50 customers under a first-come, first served basis. Reservations are always welcome and can be made by calling us at 630-985-5945.

Note: I thank Mr. Moore for sharing this information with the readers of the Woodridge PATCH and I sincerely wish all of our community restaurants a successful re-opening under Phase III. Please support our small business owners throughout this crisis.