Here’s how this longtime Bellingham restaurant owner is staying open during the pandemic
When Jesse Cantu thinks about what’s ahead in 2021, it’s hard for him to do so without reflecting on 2020 as a guide.
“It’s just been so very sad,” said Cantu, who operates the three Bellingham Jalapeños Mexican Restaurants and the Luna’s Bistro in the Barkley district. “This has hurt so many people physically, financially and emotionally.”
Like most in the industry, Cantu’s restaurants have been losing money in 2020. He said the four eateries were probably breaking even during the summer, when Whatcom County was in Phase 2 and the weather was nice enough to encourage outdoor seating.
Now his attitude is more “it is what it is,” and is focused on being there for a community that’s supported him for 21 years by dipping into his savings to survive.
“My concern right now is safety and trying to make sure my employees keep getting paychecks,” said Cantu.
Cantu realized that COVID-19 was becoming a problem while he was on vacation in Florida in March and he received a call from one of his managers. He tried to return to Bellingham, only to encounter delays at the airport. He arrived in Bellingham on March 16, only to find his four restaurants would be shutting down the next day.
His restaurants had been doing well in the first two months of the year. And even though Cantu was able to switch them over to takeout-only operations fairly quickly, revenue quickly dropped. Like many Whatcom County restaurants, Jalapeños and Luna’s Bistro had to adapt to the changing eating and drinking habits of takeout versus dine-in.
“Most of what we sell is food, but if we don’t sell liquor, then our profit margin is gone,” Cantu said, explaining that customers don’t order as much alcohol with their takeout meals as they did when dining in.
Takeout packaging costs
Switching to takeout has also meant more expenses. Cantu estimates he is spending between $8,000 and $12,000 a month on what the industry calls consumables, which includes bags, takeout boxes, hand sanitizers and other cleaning equipment.
While the Jalapeños and Luna’s restaurants have made takeout-only work, Cantu is hoping that even limited dine-in can happen soon.
“We can get by in Phase 2, hitting about break-even,” Cantu said, referring to the phase where there was limited dine-in services. “Right now, we are losing money every day. In Phase 2 I can relax a bit and bring in more employees.”
In the meantime, Cantu said he continues to look for ways to help employees and customers. Along with extending his 50% discount for cash-only orders to three days right before Thanksgiving, he’s also provided boxes of groceries to each employee, knowing that’s what they need right now.
While he’s hoping the vaccines start making an impact to end this pandemic, Cantu expects to be dealing with COVID-19 throughout all of 2021.
“My main concern is safety, and it’s something we’ll be dealing with for a while,” Cantu said.
This is one in a series on how local business owners are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
