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Your best bartender has crafted a drink special you’re sure will bring thirsty customers flocking in for happy hour and after-dinner cocktails. You order plenty of liquor to keep everyone’s glass full.

Before the outbreak of COVID-19, Kasey Wein had ordered 10,000 pounds of mushrooms from a local vendor. As supply manager of Dig Inn, a New York City-based restaurant chain, Wein procures ingredients for Dig Inn’s dishes, which are made with farm-sourced ingredients.

For most restaurants and bars, the spread of COVID-19 has upended operations like a waiter dropping a tray full of dishes. While it’s hard to expect the unexpected, there are steps operators can take to protect their businesses from future disruptions.

In a matter of weeks, the spread of COVID-19 has completely changed the average American’s lifestyle, from where they work to how often they go out for dinner and drinks. Restaurants and bars have had to pivot with those changes, adapting to serve customers, keep staff healthy and stay in business.

On the plate is a grilled filet mignon drizzled with garlic herb butter. It’s been paired with delicate green beans and roasted russet potatoes seasoned to perfection.

Going out to eat is something most Americans can sink their teeth into. In 2019, Toast reported 45% of diners ate out multiple times a week. Another 20% went out to eat once a week, and an additional 6% ate out every day. 

Your final customer’s martini is down to its olive and all that’s left of the last margarita is the salt rim. It’s time to bring up the lights, count the cash in the register and hope tonight’s sales don’t leave you with an early morning hangover.

Kasey Wien, the Associate Manager of Supply at Dig Inn, helps source, procure, and buy the ingredients that make the restaurant popular. With a Public Policy degree from Duke, a job in the food industry might seem like a disconnect, but the work she’s helping Dig Inn do is right in line with her goal of making an impact.