Article by Joshua Fitzwater
Lead photo of crudo nudo in Norfolk on 3/20/20
Stephen Marsh worked his way up in kitchens throughout Hampton Roads for fourteen years in order to open his restaurant, LeGrand Kitchen. “Owning my own restaurant is my way of contributing to the community…with food and conversation,” he explained.
Eric Nelson cooked for over twenty years before opening his own restaurant. “I think my feelings were a mix of excitement and fear when I opened crudo nudo.” Nelson said. “My dream came true.”
Moe Stevenson cooks his and his mother’s recipes at his restaurant, My Mama’s Kitchen. After seven years in business, Stevenson can still remember vividly opening the doors. “It’s your baby. You birth it. Raise it. Make sacrifices for it. You love it. And cherish it. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Due to the the safety regulations set up to combat COVID-19, including limiting gatherings of people to less than ten by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, the situation is increasingly grim for restaurant owners, chefs, and staff, as some restaurants have to figure out how to pay staff, while others have had to let workers go.
Ironically, Stevenson was in the midst of a renovation when the guidelines were put into effect. As Stevenson put it, “these are scary times. I am at a loss of what to do. Money is running out and I am scared. I have literally emptied my savings account to pay bills. And pay my employees. When you have people who work hard for you you don’t want to lose them.”
Marsh, Nelson, Stevenson and other Norfolk chefs and restaurant owners are calling for Norfolk City Council and Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander to take action. Any action.
The common refrain among Norfolk’s chefs and restaurant owners that would be a small step to help in the short term is relief or deferment from the city of Norfolk’s meal tax of 6.5%. The latest installment of that tax was due yesterday.
Chef Eric Nelson | Southern Grit Magazine file photo
Each city in Virginia charges a meal tax that diners are required to pay, above and beyond the 5% state sales tax. This amount varies from city to city and the meal tax in Norfolk is 6.5% (for comparison, Virginia Beach’s meal tax is 5.5%, Richmond’s meal tax is 7.5%, and Alexandria’s is 6%). Restaurants are required to pay the collected tax to the city on a monthly basis, and with new guidelines being enacted every day that are more and more stringent on restaurants, every dollar counts.
“It would be nice if they could allow us to postpone payment for a while…hand out some grants from any emergency funds they might have. They’ve made tens of thousands (closer to $200,000) off Streats the past seven years in the food and beverage tax,” said Neil Boden, owner of Streats in Ghent.
In Richmond, Mayor Levar Stoney has been on calls with restaurant owners, and plans to introduce a plan to City Council on Monday, March 23, which would financially help owners to have more money available to pay their employees.
According to an article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Stoney spokesman Jim Nolan said, “We have been working since last week and reviewing actions the city could take to support our small businesses, and we are in regular contact with members of the restaurant community and value their input…We will continue to explore additional options to help these businesses during these challenging times.”
The governor indicated yesterday in a press conference that COVID-19 impacted businesses can request to defer the payment of state sales taxes that are due today for 30 days. Once granted, businesses will be able to file no later than April 20, with a penalty waiver. Although the approval process was not detailed in his press release, it could be considered a step in the right direction.
Rick Fraley, chef/owner of Ten Top in Ghent and Clementine’s in Riverview said, “it would be nice as a form of a ‘bailout’ from the city and state to let us just keep that money. That way restaurants don’t need to ask for more, and they get to just keep that instead of asking for more help. It’s not like I’m gonna put that money in my pocket. I want that extra tax money to be able to pay my employees and just keep the doors open so we can live to fight another day.”
In contrast, there has not been any indication, per the city’s website at the time of this article’s publication, that there is any sort of plan put forth to help restaurants at the next Norfolk City Council meeting, currently scheduled for Tuesday, March 24.
Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander and Norfolk City Council courtesy of www.norfolk.gov
With many unsatisfied with the city’s response to crisis that restaurants are experiencing, many in the industry are banding together to provide meals for those in our community who cannot afford a meal. For instance, Codex, crudo nudo, 80/20 Burger Bar, Redwood Smoke Shack, and Public House have each pledged to take a day of the week to make sure that everyone can have a hot meal each day and pay what they can, with donations going to employees affected by the lack of business hours. These restaurants will continue to do so until further notice.
A Facebook group called Hampton Roads Restaurants – Take Out & Delivery Options was started by concerned people in the food community, including local US Foods representatives, to let those in the area know which local restaurants are still open and providing delivery or takeout.
Chef Moe Stevenson | Southern Grit Magazine file photo
Although it is admirable that restaurant owners and those in the food community are coming together to help not only their staff and colleagues during this unstable time, but those who are also impacted, it is clear to many in the industry that cities such as Norfolk need to do more with the power they have. Norfolk has gained a reputation as a food destination in recent years, and the city routinely uses local restaurants in marketing campaigns as a beacon of economic development to attract businesses, visitors, and new residents to the area.
Chef Stephen Marsh | Southern Grit Magazine file photo
Marsh said, “when I see the city of Norfolk use LeGrand in PR ads in Garden and Gun magazine…I do wonder…what’s my payout? They’re using my heart and soul to sell Norfolk to tourists. We are the backbone for tourism and revenue for the city.”
Many believe now is the time to give more than cursory lip service to the restaurants that help fill the city’s coffers through taxes. However, until that happens, as Nelson noted, “we are going to take care of our own people, even if no one else does.”
To contact Norfolk City Council visit HERE
For more on Hampton Roads Restaurants – Take Out & Delivery Options, visit HERE
2 Comments
Codex_VA ‘s participation in the helping to feed industry members affected by this pandemic is just that. A good hearted gesture to help those in need. I am in no way against the city of Norfolk. If fact there has been no response as to what the city may or may not do for us. While many may view the non response as an insult, I’d like to think the city is working on a plan to see how to best provide for small businesses in need. Just as I (we) are attempting to do for our fellow industry people. This is not the time for division between anyone. It is a time for us all to come together and help lift us up and move forward as a people. It is going to be a long hard road filled with many emotions some good, some bad and many we don’t understand. Let’s all just do what we can to survive and help our fellow man in our time of need.
We are not sure who is “against the city”? Essentially the chefs/ owners in the article are looking for leadership from the city council and the mayor. The common thread put forth via their collective thoughts seems to be clear. If the cities 6% meal tax is deferred or wiped out for a few months, this allows that money to go to those businesses and their employees for the time being. No matter how you look at it, that takes action. No where publicly that we could find when doing the research for this article have the Mayor, or Norfolk’s City Council posted anything about what they plan to do. We searched quite a bit and we called the City as well. In fact, not until this article was posted did Norfolk City Councilman Tommy Smigiel bring to light via his facebook response to the article that apparently they are voting for a city ordinance on Tuesday to address some of the issues brought up in the article.