Providence restaurant keeps customers and employees happy amid coronavirus
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Restaurants across the country are feeling the effects of COVID-19, and in Rhode Island, it’s take-out only.
Los Andes Restaurant in Providence is one of many trying to entice customers by offering curb-side pick-up and even market-price grocery goods.
“Everything is going to be brought out and handed to you, so there’s no way of cross-contamination,” explained co-owner Omar Curi, who is adamant about safety precautions in his restaurant amid the coronavirus scare.
Omar and his brother Cesin have owned the upscale Peruvian restaurant on the corner of Chalkstone and Parkway Avenues for 12 years. While they’ve faced the normal ups and downs of owning a small business, they’ve never faced anything like the coronavirus before. And they aren’t taking any chances.
“We’re doing strictly credit card payments,” Omar explained, “to limit the handling of cash.” Nobody is allowed inside the restaurant either, not even their regular delivery workers. All boxes and shipments are wiped down and disinfected. Door knobs and counters throughout the restaurant are wiped down every 5 minutes.
The brothers even purchased a few dozen boxes of new pens, which they let customers keep or throw away after signing a bill.
“Nothing comes back inside the restaurant,” Omar explained.
In the kitchen, Cesin tries to spice up the take-out dishes both literally and figuratively. He spends extra time on presentation and has even created some new take-out specials.
“Seeing so many take-out orders lined up this last Saturday, it’s in a way inspiring as a chef,” Cesin explained. “It’s a new challenge. Like how can I make this look and taste better than your average take-out food?”
The Curi brothers are still finding hours for their employees to work, while also giving them the option to accept state-offered Temporary Disability Insurance, and guaranteeing them their position back when the virus passes.
So far, most employees want to work. So the brothers will keep the restaurant open for take-out, even if it means they are not profiting.
The coronavirus has also impacted the start of the Curi’s next business venture. They had plans to open a take-out and grocery market across the street from Los Andes.
While the launch of the market has been pushed back indefinitely, it inadvertently helped the brothers prepare for coronavirus restrictions.
“We already has systems in place in terms of how we were going to package and sell items,” explained Cesin.
Los Andes will continue serving take-out and groceries to its customers throughout the duration of the pandemic. Most importantly, it will keep a paycheck coming to its dozens of loyal employees.
And sometime in the near future, the Curi brothers hope to pursue their next business venture of opening the market.
©WLNE-TV/ABC6
