Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris Originally published November 1, 2005 Click here for the current edition Get It Open! I've lost count of the number of restaurants that have told me that they'll open as soon as they clean out, repair, or replace their walk-in coolers. This seems to be the most common reason why places that appear to have suffered no serious damage are saying they won't re-open until the first of the year. I'm sure that this is true for some of the restaurants. For at least as many, however, what I see and know tells me that the real reason they're not open is that they're riding the business-interruption insurance as long as it will go. It is the nature of business interruption insurance that only a certain level of activity is allowed before the insurance company says that the enterprise is really ready to go and the payments will stop. An "unsanitary" (wink-wink, nudge-nudge) walk-in refrigerator is a good dodge. Can't operate without it, can one? And it's too stinky to just clean, right? So how can we possibly be expected to open? I mean, really? Well, really. . . I detect less sense of urgency about getting some restaurants back open than seems right to me. And I can't figure out why. I'm sure restaurants in the French Quarter in particular wonder whether any of their visitor business will be there. The answer is clear: some will, most won't. But the locals are packing into every open restaurant every day. And even though it might not be possible to fill a 300-seat restaurant constantly, the staff needed to run such a place is not available anyway. Why not open up parts of the restaurant with a limited menu, as many other restaurants have don, to the delight of their customers? That way, the money starts flowing not only to the restaurant, but to all its employees and suppliers. And the faster money flows, and in the more directions, the faster our comatose economy will revive.  might no This attitude is hardly unique to restaurants. We have too many people and businesses who are on FEMA-cation and "hurrication," enjoying their leisure until the money runs out and they have to get back to work. It's making the recovery slower and less successful than it needs to be. Many among us do have big problems to solve; my criticism is not aimed at them. But I know first-hand how easy it is to lie back and watch. My radio station cannot get back into its studios, and so the radio show that fills most of my working hours has not been on the air since the storm. Our station group is strong enough that it's kept us on the payroll. But I feel terrible about taking that money for doing almost nothing. (Although that will change shortly. See "Food Show Returns" below.) It's not good for mental health. That's why I'm writing this newsletter, calling restaurants, compiling my lists, developing recipes, etc. In times of stress and depression, the best thing you can do is get to work. Any work, even unpaid work. Come on, closed restaurants. . . open those doors, feed some people, be heroes to us and your employees! © 2005 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com