Caroline Carlson | Daily Press Diners are filtering back to area restaurants. Shown, from left, Amanda King, Ethan King and Evan King give a lunch order to server Mikhail Moran at Hereford & Hops Steakhouse and Brewpub.

ESCANABA — The outlook on returning to 25% restaurant occupancy in the U.P. might be described as cautious optimism with a strong shot of gratitude.

Co-owner of Jack’s Restaurant in Rapid River Bobbi Ryan said getting back to 25% capacity is a good start, but it’s a bit of a struggle. She suggested it’s time to open up a little bit more.

Ryan and Co-owner Cynthia Ivy brought their staff back February 9 from yet another round of temporary layoffs that occurred at the end of November and sent home 90% of the staff. All but a few dishwashers returned.

While the cause of the dishwasher shortage was pandemic-related, it was not layoff-related. Ryan explained that Jack’s frequently employs students to fill dishwasher positions to help them out with a first-time job. In the past, students on sports teams were able to coordinate work and team schedules, because the sports were more spread out. Now, Ryan laughed, students are returning to sports “all jammed up at the same time,” trying to get their seasons in.

Ryan couldn’t say enough about her staff, praising the employees for their loyalty and flexibility about frequent schedule changes.

“Everybody kind of stuck it out with us and we tried to do the best we could with them while we were down and out,” she said.

Ryan admitted that at this juncture, getting paperwork processed for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is one of the biggest stressors for the business. The PPP is intended to help businesses keep their employees during the COVID-19 crisis.

“Waiting on the paperwork to process for PPP to move forward is stressful,” Ryan said.

Another challenge restaurants and other businesses face now more than ever is making decisions amidst uncertainty.

Ryan said it’s tough to decide when to start committing to parties again. People are ready to book parties and events, she said, but restaurants aren’t sure what’s around the bend. In one such decision, Ryan and Ivy will have to determine when to resume booking their mobile food truck, the Brisket Barn, for events. Such events require a commitment of food, supplies and a crew to man the truck, which has to be weighed against the possibility of the event getting canceled due to the pandemic.

“At some point, you just have to book events and take the chance staffing it,” Ryan said.

Ultimately, Ryan believes the restaurant will come out all right. She and Ivy are turning the staff’s energy toward finding new and interesting meals for their customers.

“We’re actually trying to be more creative and come up with things that people aren’t cooking at home,” said Ryan, adding, “They seem to like the alcohol-infused sauces.”

Despite the difficulties of the past year, Ryan was nonjudgmental about decisions made by Governor Whitmer, and said the governor is between a rock and a hard place and she wouldn’t want to be in her shoes.

“If she didn’t do anything, she’d get it from one side. If she does something, she gets it from the other side, so, I think she’s done a great job with the cards that she’s dealt,” Ryan said.

The bottom line for Ryan is staying on the positive side and pushing though it.

“We’re coming through it all right. We’ll get to the other side eventually,” she said.

Owner of Hereford & Hops Steak House and Brewpub in Escanaba Becky Moody shared Ryan’s positivity.

“It’s been a rough year, but I’m real optimistic that we’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think it’s only going to improve,” Moody said.

Moody has also brought back her staff, even at the expense of making a profit. She said because the restaurant is on the larger side, 25% capacity is just enough to keep the staff employed and break-even. She won’t make a profit, but she’ll break-even.

When Moody did call back the staff, all of whom were furloughed, she noticed a difference in outlook since the first round of COVID-19 assistance checks went out.

“The first time stimulus checks went out, people didn’t care about whether they worked or not. The attitude is different this time around. Employees are of the mind, ‘Just let me work and make my own money,'” Moody said.

The restaurant owner did what she could to help her furloughed employees make it through Christmas and cover gas and food. She accepted customer donations via Facebook for the staff and their kids. She said she was amazed by the generosity of her customers, some of whom matched the donations of others.

“People have been wonderful, understanding and generous. I appreciate it so very much,” she said.

The loss of the weeks between Thanksgiving and the middle of January dealt a blow to Hereford & Hops, taking away one of the most lucrative periods in the year. Moody explained that early January is an important period, because many companies hold their holiday parties after Christmas.

Moody believes Whitmer will allow more capacity in the U.P. soon because COVID-19 numbers in this region continue to drop. As capacity opens up going forward, she’s confident customers will return, because, she says, everybody just wants to get back to normal.

“We are good. I’m so appreciative of the community support, people patronizing the restaurant and supporting us. So many of these people have become more than just customers,” she said, adding that the staff doesn’t talk about missing the income, they talk about missing the customers.

Owner of Bobaloon’s Café in Escanaba Mark Ammel said the restaurant has weathered the past year by delivering orders to customers in their cars in the parking lot. Customers either call ahead, order at the counter, or order from their phones using the drive-up order spaces in the parking lot.

Ammel said because people seem to prefer waiting in their cars, the 25% capacity allowance isn’t currently a factor for his small business. He added that moving to outdoor service didn’t force him to furlough anyone last year. In fact, Ammel recently hired another employee to help maintain the restaurant’s high level of service. He said he is very grateful for the support of the community.