TASTE
Will Curbside Survive ?
Restaurant owners weigh the future of curbside pickup , which kept many businesses afloat during the pandemic
BY Cherise Henry
Jeff and Gail Back , the owners of Back Bistro , say curbside pickup helped their Folsom business survive the pandemic , but they plan to scale it back soon .
PHOTOS BY Debbie Cunningham
When husband-and-wife restaurant owners Jeff and Gail Back started hearing rumors in March 2020 that society as they knew it would shut down , they immediately went to work researching how to reconfigure their restaurant ’ s business model — a model previously not conducive to anything other than in-person dining .
“ We knew that we had to transition , or else we ’ re going to be left behind ,” says Gail . The restaurant , Back Bistro , which opened in 2008 in Folsom and moved to the city ’ s Palladio shopping center in 2018 , went from solely upscale indoor dining to only offering takeout ( the customer orders in person , over the phone or online , and retrieves their order from inside the restaurant ), curbside pickup ( customer orders online and a store associate brings out the food ) and delivery ( via third-party cellphone application or direct service ). This spring , the Backs were finally able to return to their pre-pandemic business of in-person dining focused on what they consider their specialty : quality atmosphere and service . For all the struggles COVID-19 has caused restaurants , there have been some benefits to consumers in terms of the quick advancement of service options , including online ordering and curbside pickup . Customers can simply drive into a parking spot , and then call , text or check in on the restaurant ’ s app to announce their arrival , and the order is brought out to the car window when it ’ s ready . And curbside pickup is less expensive than a third-party delivery service , where the customer also pays a delivery fee and a tip for the driver .
30 comstocksmag . com | June 2021