Of all the businesses battered by the pandemic, few have suffered as much as the restaurant industry. Since the first pandemic shut down in March of 2020, nearly a third of California's restaurants permanently closed, and nearly two-thirds of the state's restaurant workers at least temporarily lost their jobs. But there are signs of hope.
A case, or a bucket, in point: local favorite Lucky Bird, which has not only survived, it is now spreading its wings thanks to an unexpected angel.
When the pandemic hit, chef and owner Chris Dane had to make many sacrifices to get by.
"We ended up closing three times in 2020, and it was a very tough year for us. It was extremely hard letting people go; we employed 12 to 15 people, and I had to furlough everybody. I could only bring back three or four. And so it was incredibly tough because there was no backup plan at that point," Dane said.
But, in January, Rick Wetzel, the co-founder of Blaze Pizza and Wetzel's Pretzels, reached out to Dane and his wife to talk about their future.
"You know we're sitting at home and twiddling their thumbs and culverts going on, and the cars are all washed, and the election's over, and there's nothing fun to watch on TV. So it just got very boring. And then we stumbled onto the concept of let's find somebody and kind of pay it forward and help them grow. So, we started hunting around. We liked the fried chicken category, and Elise found these guys on the internet. We did a deal based on Yelp reviews and photographs. We inked our deal and tried the chicken afterward, which is really a wild concept, I like to say. It's like we got married after our first date," Wetzel said.
Luckily for Lucky Bird, the Wetzel's already owned a historic building in Eagle Rock, and it got a new look. And Dane said his children inspired him to come up with new recipes.
"We wanted to introduce a couple of new things to the menu. So broccoli sounds raw but dressed with this really delicious kind of vinaigrette that we make a little bit of smoky bacon there. We also have gluten-free cornbread, and we use cornflour instead of AP flour, and it gives it that extra punch of corn flavor," Dane added.
Even though the location and some of the food are new, some of the employees are not.
"It was exciting for some of the workers to come back. It's really a great relief, especially with this going on, especially with new people working in here and new friends and new good environment for the people. We have a lot of neighbors that like to walk down the street right here and just come in and chill," Lucky Bird shift lead Cyrus Aguilera said.
While Wetzel is unsure if Lucky Bird will be a global brand like Blaze Pizza and Wetzel's Pretzels, he will always support Dane.
"I'm going to let the brand take us where it wants to go. I don't need to blow this thing out, but I also don't want to hold Chris and Christine back. So if they want to do something and the brand wants to go, then we certainly can help guide them, and we will help them along. But it's going to be them doing it."
Dane said he's learned many lessons during the pandemic and is hopeful for the future.
"I think that the human spirit is pretty strong. And don't doubt yourself, because when things seem like they are dark and times are dire, you never know what's around the corner. Who knows what the future's going to hold. But for me, in my eyes, just having a successful restaurant and having smiling faces in the dining room is all that I really care about."
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