DEALING
DEALING WITH ALL OF THAT AND WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO KNOW
AS THEY PREPARE TO REOPEN AGAIN.
>>
>>
>> >>
>> >> 25
>> >> 25 YEARS, MIKE TOOLE HAS
WORKED AS A BARTENDER. BUT FOR
MUCH OF THE LAST YEAR HIS WORK
BEHIND THE BAR OF THE AUTO
SALOON HAS BEEN INTERRUPTED.
I WAS JUST A WAITING GAME. MIKE
SAYS MANY OF HIS COWORKERS
COULDN'T WAIT. MOVING ON FROM
THE INDUSTRY AT DIFFERENT POINTS
IN THE YEAR FOR MORE STABLE WORK
>>. YOU KNOW, IT'S DEFINITELY
STRESSFUL. YOU KNOW, NOBODY IS
MAKING MONEY. I'M FORTUNATE
IN THE SENSE IN A WAY THAT I
DON'T HAVE A FAMILY AS FAR AS
LIKE HAVING CHILDREN AND THINGS
OF THAT NATURE AND WORRYING
ABOUT THAT KIND OF FINANCIAL
BURDEN. YOU JUST KIND OF HAVE
TO MOVE FORWARD AND PERSEVERE.
YOU CAN'T LET IT GET YOU DOWN.
>> DON'T GET HIM WRONG. HE'S
BEEN FRUSTRATED WITH WHAT
HE SEES AS UNEVEN RESTRICTIONS
FOR BARS AND RESTAURANTS WHEN
COMPARED TO OTHER INDUSTRIES.
BUT HE'S ALSO SEEN
THE PANDEMIC'S TOLL
>>. I KNOW SOME PEOPLE THAT HAVE
HAD I KNOW THROUGH OTHER
ACQUAINTENCES AND THROUGH
WORKING AND RESTAURANTS AND BARS
OVER THE YEARS PEOPLE WHO HAVE
PASSED AWAY AS WELL . YOU KNOW,
YOUNG, OLD, YOU KNOW,
>> AFFECTED A LOT OF PEOPLE
THAT HAS NOT PERSONALLY AFFECTED
ME OR MY FAMILY, BUT THAT
DOESN'T MEAN IT'S NOT A REAL
THING.
THING.
THING. >>
THING. >> DID YOU CONSIDER MOVING ON ?
I HAVE. IT'S HARD ON THE BODY
A LITTLE BIT. YOU KNOW, WHEN
YOU'RE IN YOUR UPPER 40S.
BUT IT'S WHAT I LOVE TO DO AND I
ENJOY WORKING WITH PEOPLE.
AND I'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR SO
LONG. I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHAT
ELSE I WOULD DO
>> OTHERS. THE SERVICE INDUSTRY
WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE START
OF A NEW CAREER.
>> WENT BACK TO WORKING AT
A RESTAURANT IN FEBRUARY.
I FINISHED MY TWO WEEKS
OF TRAINING AND WAS ON THE FLOOR
FOR BARELY THREE WEEKS WHEN
THE SHUTDOWN FIRST HAPPENED. MY
FIRST DAY OF UNEMPLOYMENT WAS
ACTUALLY MY BIRTHDAY. SO
THAT WAS INTERESTING. YOU MIGHT
RECOGNIZE LINDSAY AGAIN. SO FROM
HER MEAL PREP AND COOKING
SEGMENTS KARE11 SHE LEFT
A CAREER IN RADIO LAST YEAR
IN ORDER TO DEDICATE MORE TIME
TO HER CULINARY CAREER AND NEW
FOOD AND LIFESTYLE WEB SITE.
>> TAKING THIS JOB IN A
RESTAURANT PROVIDED ME NOT ONLY
WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT
AND FLEXIBILITY, BUT IT ALSO GOT
ME AROUND FOOD, WHICH IS WHERE
I WANT TO BUILD MY CAREER.
AND SHE
AND SHE
AND SHE >> SAYS SHE'S EXCITED TO SERVE
AGAIN. BUT AS SHE AND OTHERS DO,
SHE WANTS PEOPLE TO KNOW HOW
MUCH THE INDUSTRY HAS CHANGED
AND ADAPTED IN THE PROCESS
>>. THE ONE THING THAT'S REALLY
CHANGED IN THE INDUSTRY AND A
LOT OF SERVICE INDUSTRY
PEOPLE WILL POINT THIS OUT IS
THAT PRIOR TO COVID I WAS
RESPONSIBLE FOR JUST MANAGING
MYSELF . AND NOW WITH COVID
WE'RE MANAGING OTHER PEOPLE .
THERE'S A LEVEL OF ADULT
BABYSITTING GOING ON , ONE
BECAUSE WE WANT TO KEEP EVERYONE
SAFE, BUT TWO, BECAUSE WE WANT
TO KEEP OUR RESTAURANTS OPEN.
WHETHER OR NOT YOU SUPPORT
THE MILES OR DON'T SUPPORT
THE MASK. YOU KNOW, WE STILL
HAVE TO PLAY BY RULES THAT ARE
GIVEN TO US. YOU KNOW, THIS IS
A GROUP EFFORT. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE
IN PUBLIC. YOU KNOW, RESPECT
EACH OTHER. YOU KNOW, THAT'S
A LOT
A LOT
A LOT >>
A LOT >> NOW MIKE AND LINDSAY BOTH
WANTED TO PASS ALONG ONE WORD
WHEN THINKING ABOUT RETURNING
TO RESTAURANTS AND THAT
PATIENTS. THEY SAID THAT THEY
HAVE HAD TO HAVE A LOT OF IT
IN THESE LAST 10 MONTHS.
BUT THEY ALSO HAVE SEEN HOW MUCH
THEIR WORKPLACES HAVE HAD
TO CHANGE AND ADAPT
WITH DIFFERENT RULES
AND REGULATIONS TO MAKE
PEOPLE FEEL SAFE IN ORDER
TO COME BACK. SO THEY SAID IF
YOU GO, PLEASE PRACTICE PATIENTS
WITH THEM AND THEIR EMPLOYERS
AND IF YOU CAN OF COURSE TIP
WELL , JANA, ALWAYS A GOOD TIP
THERE, KEN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AS YOU MENTIONED, FOR ALL
OF THOSE RETURNING TO THEIR
JOBS, MAYBE AND THE NEXT COMING
WEEKS, THERE ARE OTHERS WHO
I KNOW, SOME WHO HAVE DECIDED
TO COMPLETELY MOVE ON . DID YOU
SPEAK TO ANYONE LIKE THAT TODAY?
>> I SPEAK. I SPOKE TO SEVERAL
JANA AND THOSE ARE SOME
EMOTIONAL DISCUSSIONS. A LOT
OF PEOPLE TOLD ME THEY JUST
DIDN'T WANT TO GO ON CAMERA
TO TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE AS YOU
KNOW, THERE ARE SO MANY FACTORS
THAT LEAD TO THAT. SOME PEOPLE
HAVE HEALTH COMPLICATIONS.
SOME PEOPLE JUST DIDN'T FEEL
COMFORTABLE GOING BACK. IN FACT,
THAT WAS A COMMON THREAD.
THE EMPLOYERS HERE REALLY MAKE
A DIFFERENCE. LINDSAY SAID SHE
FELT COMPLETELY SUPPORTED
AND HAS THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
BUT THERE WERE SEVERAL THAT SAID
THEY SIMPLY DIDN'T FEEL LIKE
THEY WERE PUT FIRST AND THEY
DIDN'T WANT TO PUT THEMSELVES AT
RISK. COMING