An Uphill Battle in Cambridge
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By Colleen Johnson
Cambridge is quite a special place. Pre-pandemic, 200 covers for brunch was the norm. We were an incredibly tight team with practically no turnover. When we were a fully staffed team, we were able to crush every day and barely had a snag. Really, we were on cloud nine. Then the pandemic hit. The restaurant industry as a whole completely changed which is no surprise to anyone reading this.
The last year has been painful. Our head chef got let go two months in, two long-time sous chefs moved on, food costs are through the roof, and we’re experiencing labor shortages. But in a town like Cambridge, a highly vaccinated community, the pandemic is “over”. The crowds are flowing in, easily topping 200 covers every weekend shift, both day and night. However, our team is barely existing throughout each day. We cringe when the host proudly tells us we’re expecting 100 for Sunday dinner.
Those who have worked through the pandemic have consoled one another through anxiety attacks and crying breakdowns in the locker rooms. We’ve dealt with Covid scares. Once, a case surfaced within our restaurant and the team was expected to work before getting the chance to be tested ourselves. It seemed as though the rules changed every day for our state. Whether it was a curfew or feeling like we had to be health officials with masking policies. It seemed like a never-ending problematic run of a year. Yet we found brightness in those dark times. Being such a close-knit team was our saving grace.
Once we were able to get vaccinated, we would cheer for each other when we got our shots.
Yesterday, a sous chef that left for mental health reasons and is now a chef de cuisine, came in for brunch with one of our old coworkers. We all flocked to them even as we were slammed. There’s no bad blood with people who have moved on from our restaurant because we felt like we were fighting a never-ending battle, and still feel the same way. It’s something those just coming back to work since the start of the pandemic would never understand.
Lucky for us, the majority of our incredible guests and community have been some of the most understanding and compassionate people I’ve encountered in these times. We have guests that come in weekly and have tipped the bill for the last nearly two years we’ve been open. We have regulars that come in three to four times a week. We’re one of the lucky ones. Thanks to the community of Cambridge, people look out for each other and are masked up. Cambridge has one of the highest vaccination rates in the state, making life feel a lot more normal these days.
Colleen has worked in restaurants in Cambridge for just over ten years now which is wild to think about. As a server/bartender in several establishments over the years, as well as being a music journalist, she’s seen families grow up and has grown to fall in love with this city. Currently serving/bartending in a Harvard Square institution, the restaurant this story is about, and one she called home for two years pre-pandemic.
Opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Best Served. To achieve our mission of bringing more voices to the table, we are committed to sharing a variety of viewpoints across the industry.
