As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, Airdrie’s restaurants are finding creative ways to keep revenues flowing, with dine-in service no longer allowed.
Pauls Pizza Steakhouse and Lounge is one restaurant that has adjusted relatively well to the situation. Co-owner Farouk Elsaghir said the business has always been successful with delivery and takeout, and is now extending its delivery service as far as north Calgary.
“Fortunately for us, we’re so strong on takeout, and we have a lot of our own delivery drivers,” he said. “I think we have about 14 or 15 of our own [drivers] employed. Because of that, we’re able to charge a cheaper delivery rate than most places.”
Other than increasing its delivery area, he said the restaurant is offering specials via delivery and takeout that used to only be offered in-restaurant. Examples include a buy-one, get-one-half-off pizza special on Wednesdays, which has been extended to include Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Elsaghir added Pauls also started offering $2 off pre-cooked pastas.
“We’re seeing an increase in that as well,” he said. “If people want to stock up for a week or whatnot, they can order these unbaked pastas. They’re pre-cooked, and just need to go in your oven. But they can be frozen.”
Despite the positive adjustments the restaurant has made, Elsaghir acknowledged Pauls has lost a lot of its former revenue sources, including alcohol sales and profits from the restaurant’s seven VLT machines.
“The numbers we’re making are actually a lot higher than I expected, but our rent is obviously still the same price,” he said. “For some things, the cost will go down – our employee wages and food costs will go down a little bit, but at the end of the day, our profits are still not going to be nearly as much as they were before the pandemic.”
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About half of the business' 50 employees are still working, according to Elsaghir. He said servers took the brunt of the layoffs, though some are still working in other roles, such as answering phones, taking delivery orders and helping with food prep.
“The kitchen staff is pretty much a skeleton crew,” he said. “For example, on a typical Friday night, we usually had 10 to 12 people just on the line, not including the dishwashers and the prep people. Right now, we’re running with a three-person crew.
“It’s a win-loss for some employees. Obviously, the delivery drivers are making more money than ever because they’re getting more deliveries and their gas is cheaper. One thing as well, that a lot of people might not realize with the pandemic, is that a lot of employees don’t want to work – a lot of people are scared or they don’t want to get sick, so they choose to stay home.”
Regardless of the pandemic, Elsaghir said one thing Pauls Pizza is still offering is the weekly Pizza With a Purpose (PWP) charity initiative. Every Monday, he said, $2 from every pizza sold supports a pre-selected charity or non-profit organization.
The restaurant has offered PWP since October 2019, according to Elsaghir. The initiative has provided funds to several local groups, including the Nose Creek Swim Association, Airdrie Public Library, Airdrie P.O.W.E.R, Meals on Wheels, Airdrie Pride Society and others.
“We’ve still been doing it throughout the pandemic, and the numbers are actually still pretty decent,” Elsaghir said. “We’re still selling the same amount of pizzas as we were before. It’s good to help the community out and they always help us in return.”
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
