ANTONIO ’ S BAR & GRILL IN KNOWSLEY VILLAGE
A once-in-a generation crisis such as Covid-19 is devastating for businesses no matter how well they are run .
But it is also true to say that it is the most adaptable and imaginative entrepreneurs that are more likely to come out of the other side in a relatively strong position . Antonio ’ s , a boutique bar & grill restaurant in Knowsley Village , is now looking to the future with confidence having endured a torrid 18 months . Founded eight years ago by Tony Cummins and run with his partner Donna , Antonio ’ s is housed in one of the former Earl of Derby Estate Cottages with a Shakespearean and Old English-inspired menu and feel . But despite the link to the past , Tony is very much focused on the now and the future and throughout 2019 , he had invested a significant sum of money to refurbish and upgrade the eatery which was already proving popular with diners .
Tony said : “ The Feedback we get from customers is fantastic and we know we have consistently been getting it right . Our goal is always about making sure our guests have a great dining experience ,” said Tony . " So we got into 2020 and we had invested all this money . Donna and the rest of the team , as always , were doing an incredible job . We brought in a brand experience agency called Ways To WOW to help us clarify our identity , train up the team , improve our offering and build a narrative around who we are and what we do . And on February 16 , 2020 , we relaunched the restaurant . For the following five weeks we were fully booked every night . We knew Covid was happening and we were seeing the pictures on the news from other countries . It looked bad but you think well ‘ maybe it won ’ t be like that here ’.”
Then , in late March , Prime Minister Boris Johnson went on the television to announce a lockdown and Antonio ’ s had no choice but to close its doors . However , the restaurant had a big advantage over many other outlets .
Tony explained : “ While the Government forced restaurants to close it did allow them to run a takeaway service . But for a restaurant to suddenly switch to that from scratch is a very difficult thing to do and I ’ m not sure how many of them managed it . We were very lucky in that respect as we had been offering takeaways for a number of years . The most difficult part of doing that is maintaining the quality . But it is something we have been working on for a long time . For many restaurants it is about getting the quantity out there . But for us the quality always has to come first . Every meal that goes out of our kitchen , whether it is to a table in the restaurant , or whether it is to someone ’ s home , is seen by us as a chance for that guest to leave and become a brand ambassador for Antonio ’ s . This is why every small detail is so important to us .”
In the midst of the 2020 relaunch Tony was about to embark on a recruitment drive . Fortunately , only one new person had been taken on during that initial period so when lockdown hit the staffing situation wasn ’ t as awkward as it could have been . We furloughed around six people initially ,” said Tony . “ We kept people on to keep the takeaway service going . But we also used the time during much of 2020 to be proactive and look at the different ways we could refine and improve what we do .
“ We created a brand concept guide that aligned with our historic story and off the back of that developed marketing campaigns and new menus . As the main restaurant was closed due to the pandemic our first project was to polish up our takeaway concept . Our goal was to offer our customers even more of a reason to visit Antonio ’ s by adding restaurant quality dishes to our menu that could be enjoyed in the comfort of their own home . We rebranded all our packaging to suit the new concept as well as adding new dishes such as a Japanese Katsu curry , King prawn & wild mushroom linguine and hoisin duck pasta . Another thing we have changed is the opening hours . We used to open at 9am every morning right through to late evening . But that was putting the team under a lot of pressure and it was putting the quality at risk . So now we open both the restaurant and the takeaway at 4pm each day . And , despite opening for fewer hours , we find we are growing stronger as a business because we are maintaining a higher level of quality and that keeps people coming back .
“ Where we are , in Knowsley Village , we are in a semi-rural location so we don ’ t have the footfall and access to the same casual dining market and tourists that we would if we were in Liverpool city centre . So we have to work hard to make sure that when guests come here they have such a great experience that they will want to come back .”
Similar to every other restaurant , Antonio ’ s saw a stop-start 2020 . They were allowed to open again in the summer and into the autumn but a resurgence in the virus caused another lockdown . Tony added : “ We were fully booked for New Year ’ s Eve and then we were told to close on December 30 . I think by that point we were just relieved to get to the end of the year .”
One of the signs of a good business is low staff turnover . That is even more difficult to achieve in the typically more transient hospitality sector and has proved almost impossible for some during the pandemic .
Tony added : “ There is a real shortage of people willing to work in hospitality right now and restaurants are struggling to fill vacancies . I think being on furlough has opened up the eyes of many people who have worked in hospitality . You may have had chefs working 60 hours a week and they have found jobs with the same money for less hours elsewhere in other industries .
“ Here , we have not lost anyone . We have retained all of our staff and that is so important for me . The success of Antonio ’ s isn ’ t just about me and Donna , it is about the whole team . They are the reason we have such a great reputation . We all pull together and what we have built here is a combined effort .” and a team that our passionate and love what they do .
Tony says , inevitably , the business has lost a lot of money over the past 18 months but is proud that the efforts and imagination of him and his team have ensured its survival . It wasn ’ t until April this year they finally got a payout from their insurance company .
He said : “ There was a court case that forced insurance companies to pay out to businesses such as ours . Prior to that , they were finding every excuse not to pay . It was terrible .”
But looking to the next few months with renewed optimism , he added : “ Our next steps are now to focus on improving the main restaurant and newly refurbished ‘ study ’ area . This offers guests a unique dining experience in parallel with our local history and cosy boutique interior that welcomes all Antonio ’ s visitors to become part of our story . There are lots of exciting things to come including a new fine-tuned menu , daytime dining , Sunday roast and themed events . We have learned many lessons during the past year or so and that learning process is so important . Another thing we have also done is limit the number of diners to six in a single party . That way we make sure we maintain the intimate atmosphere . When customers come here for two or three hours we want them to be able to leave the troubles of the world at the door and have an amazing experience . We have had some incredible support from the likes of Knowsley Chamber and Knowsley Council . They were always at the end of the phone whenever we needed support . We may have lost a lot of money , but we have survived . There were challenges , hopefully of the like we won ’ t see again in our lifetimes .
" With Donna , and the love and passion of our amazing team , we have taken everything that was thrown at us and still we rise .” merseylife . com 23