“ March 15 , 2020 , was the last day the restaurants were fully open and we closed on March 16 for lunch after Governor Raimondo ’ s call . March 17 was my birthday , and that was the day I had to lay everybody off ,” Nichols says , her voice beginning to crack . She chokes up , pauses , then starts again , “ and it was literally the hardest day of my whole entire life .”
The day she had to break the news , she got out of bed before the sun rose to go grocery shopping for her family . She says that was the only thing she could control at that moment . She paced the grocery store aisles making sure her family would have everything they needed at home during a period of uncertainty , including enough beloved Mickey frozen waffles for her young daughter , and says she broke down in front of a store clerk .
“ The poor guy stocking the apples asked me how my day was , and I broke into tears and I was like , ‘ It ’ s horrible . It ’ s my birthday . I ’ m about to lay everyone off ,’ and he looked at me like I was nuts ,” Nichols says . “ Those first few days were really hard and I felt guilty from having to lay everyone off , but I couldn ’ t control it . I was worried about what the future was going to hold , and how we were going to come out of this .”
In the end , Chow Fun ’ s employees collected unemployment assistance while the restaurant group figured out how to get back up and running for takeout again . And now that all the restaurants have reopened , Nichols is more confident in how her team has handled the crisis .
“ Through all of the tough moments came positive ones too ,” Nichols says . “ My team worked so hard and put everything they had into reopening and sustaining our restaurants , which in the end made us stronger than ever . I could not be prouder to call them my team .”
Nichols says she and other managers check in with staff to see how they are doing as restrictions ease , making sure they are okay and that they know there are options for recouping some of their lost income .
“ Everyone has had their moments of being worried and concerned , but I think having people to lean on whether it ’ s myself or other managers has been helpful . I tell management their job right now , aside from the normal duties , is really just being there for their staff , checking in with them and making sure that they ’ re okay and listening to their worries ,” Nichols says . “ When people feel that you really do care about them , it changes the dynamic . It brings a sense of loyalty and you feel at home ; you feel like it ’ s a career and that ’ s where you want to be .”
It ’ s up to restaurant ownership and management to support their staff and keep strict safety precautions in place even as restaurant restrictions lessen . There ’ s been a lot of guidance from state leadership , but Dr . Andrea says a lot of this guidance erases the workers from the equation .
“ The workers are in these establishments for their entire shift with folks with their masks off , and not necessarily having the support they need to protect themselves from that potential exposure ,” she says . “ It ’ s my professional opinion that , at the moment , we shouldn ’ t have indoor dining open . When it comes to COVID-19 , socializing maskless indoors is one of the riskiest things you can do . Studies have found that not only are folks who have tested positive for SARS- COV-2 twice as likely to have dined out in the previous weeks but workers in food service jobs are also experiencing a greater burden of COVID-19-related deaths . In the absence of vaccine prioritization for these workers , the onus is completely on individual businesses to have measures in place to support and protect their workers .”
Many places are standing behind their workers and being proactive .
“ They take a firm stance with customers , like ‘ No mask , no service ,’ or there are rules like put your mask on when the server comes up to the table ,” Andrea says . “ I want to applaud those business owners because they are doing the right thing . It ’ s awesome they are doing the right thing , but we need it to happen more broadly .”
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or thoughts of suicide , call the 24 / 7 BH Link hotline at 401-414- LINK . Or you can use the Crisis Text Line and connect with a crisis coordinator within twenty-five seconds on average . Text HELLO to 741741 , and communicate until you feel safe . �
Coupling art and industry , Gorham boldly rose from a small Providence firm to the largest silver company in the world .
Three-Part Series May 23 , 24 & 25 at 9 p . m .
Nautilus Centerpiece - 1893 Dallas Museum of Art
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