How has Covid-19 impacted Small Restaurants?
Thursday, April 29, 2021
The Issue
Since the beginning of the pandemic the food industry has been suffering and due to federal and state policies, the normalcy of restaurants has come to a halt. There has been an abundant amount of restrictions and reinforcements that are not only new to customers, but to employees and restaurant owners. To grasp a better understand of the impact that Covid-19 has had on the food industry, we research and produced a webinar to learn more about the affect it has had on small restaurants.
Our Goal
- For our hosts, panelists, and audience to gain a greater knowledge of how small restaurants were effected by Covid-19 and to understand the impact the media coverage has.
- To use what has been learned, make personal and general reflections, and to take steps towards positive actions in regard to reporting.
As journalism students, we set out to learn more about the affect that the Covid-19 has had on restaurants and how the media has covered it. In order to do this we reached out to journalists, restaurant owners, and scholars to hear their perspective. In the webinar below we have knowledgeable panelists give their insight on this topic and elaborate based on their personal experiences.
Produced by students at The College of New Jersey
Sara Nigro
Colton Ehrhard
Featured Panelists
Francesca Avitto and Kate Wnek
Avitto and Wnek are the owners of Lady and the Shallot, a plant based eatery located in Lawrence Township, at Trenton’s Farmers Market. They are open Wednesday- Sunday and serve food that is 100% vegan, gluten free, and nut free. Lady and the Shallot opened in 2018 and has become a household name in the Trenton area since their opening. They serve a wide array of food from vegan tacos to avocado-chocolate pizza, along with great customer service reviews, they have it all!
Visit their website:
Eric Maywar
Maywar is an economic development specialist in Trenton, NJ and the founder of Shop Trenton Campaign. As an economic development specialist, he specializes in doing business attraction, retention, and expansion for the City of Trenton. Additionally, his campaign, Shop Trenton Campaign was named, “the best shop local program in New Jersey”(MercerMe.com). Maywar dedicates his time to creating a sense of community and developing the Trenton area through his support of local shops.
Eric Maywar – Economic Development Specialist – City of Trenton | LinkedIn
Jeremy Schneider
Schneider is a featured reporter for NJ Advance Media, writing for both NJ.com and The Star-Ledger. His work covers a range of topics including food and culture. During the pandemic, Schneider has been an active writer covering the impacts of COVID on restaurants. Through his work he has shed light on the successes, challenges, and failures of restaurants during these troubled times to keep New Jersey residents informed.
Read Schneider’s work below:
https://connect.nj.com/staff/jeremyschneider/posts.html
Matt Skoufalos
Skoufalos is an editor and founder for NJPen, a local online newspaper that covers Camden County, NJ. He is also an editor and journalist for the newspaper and his work is focused on news regarding healthcare and economics. Notable pieces include: “From Invisible to Invincible, ‘A New View Camden’ Seeks to Reshape City’s Vacant Lots”(NJPen.com), and “The New Normal: The Imaging Landscape in Late-Stage Pandemic Days”, an article written for ICE Magazine. Through his work he creates a connected community that is informed on the local news and events taking place on small and large scales.
Read Skoufalos’ work below:
