Don't Expect to Dine In at Paulie Gee's Anytime Soon
Owner of popular Chicago pizza parlor discusses how, in an effort to keep his staff safe and gainfully employed, he's opting for creative solutions.
Everyone’s trying to come up with the best solutions for dining once the cold kicks in and dining alfresco is no longer reasonable in Chicago. Every time I am out and about, I ask restaurateurs about their plans for fall/winter dining during the pandemic, and how they will operate now that occupancy is at 40 percent.
A few have shrugged and said they’re still trying to figure it out. Others are still holding out in hopes that warmer weather will linger into late fall. And some, such as Derrick Tung of Paulie Gee’s, have a solid plan in place already because dining in simply is not an option.
Tung recently joined me on the LIVE! Culinary Series, where he laid out in full detail what’s to come during the next several months at his popular Logan Square establishment. The pizza-focused eatery specializes in Brooklyn- and Detroit-style pies that are cooked to perfection in large, wood-fired ovens.
But the biggest change at the restaurant is that they started selling New York-style pizza by the slice. That may sound simple, but for Tung, the decision was strategic, and the execution was creative, in order to keep his employees safe. He also wanted to maintain a high level of hospitality at Paulie Gee’s.
“Do I lay off half my staff because there’s really no front-of-house service currently,” says Tung during our interview. “Or do we create something where front of house still has an ability to interact with community and still has interactions with the rest of the world?”
He executed his vision by creating a display table in the window with slices of pepperoni, sausage, cheese and vegan pizza lined up so customers can order their favorite from the sidewalk. A wood-fired oven has been placed in view of the guests so they can watch them fire up their slice. Customers love the experience, says Tung, and more important, his employees feel safe.
He came up with this plan because his employees were apprehensive about interactions with COVID-19, says Tung.
“Just about every month I’ll talk to my staff and I will give them a chance to fill out a survey anonymously online,” Tung explains. “I will ask them, ‘What are you comfortable with? Do you like what we’re doing now with the window over here, would you like to open for partial service, or would you like to open for full service?’
“I always go with what the majority rules. Honestly, right now with all that’s going on, I feel like the Chicago rate at least [for COVID-19 numbers] continues to climb. … I firmly believe the 40 percent [occupancy rate in restaurants] is great to help businesses that are struggling and need the 40 percent dine-in. We’re getting by, we’re doing slightly above break even after a couple of months of ramping up and building. If I can continue to keep my staff employed, and we continue to break even, I’m not worried about opening up for dine-in just yet.”
Seventy two percent of his staff in the last survey said they were not comfortable with the restaurant re-opening for dine-in service. “So we are just sticking with what we have now and coming up with more creative solutions as the weather gets colder," he says.
That includes installing electric heaters and a propane tank in the restaurant’s alcove to keep customers warm. They’re also planning to weatherproof the front so employees working the window stay warm. And finally, Tung adds, they’re toying with the idea of offering a complimentary soup, hot cocoa or hot apple cider with every order to keep guests’ hands warm.
“It’s great for community,” Tung says.