This May Be the Future of Restaurants

James Beard Award winner Abe Conlon and partner Adrienne Lo (photo courtesy of Fat Rice)

Our industry is in crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has already permanently shuttered more than one percent of restaurants, forced millions into unemployment, and left chefs, owners, and workers struggling to imagine what the future looks like in the near and long-term. As states start to re-open and the industry looks to rebuild, we're sharing stories from the front lines of businesses reacting and adapting to this new landscape.

We spoke with Adrienne Lo and James Beard Award winner Abe Conlon, owners of Chicago hot spot Fat Rice. The pair, who recently received one of the grants from our Industry Relief Fund, decided to revamp their entire business model. Their dining room, intimate cocktail lounge, and bakery has been transformed into Super Fat Rice Mart, a market offering menu favorites in meal kit form as well as produce, pantry items, and more. Below, Lo and Conlon explain the journey from stay-at-home order to opening the doors on Super Fat Rice Mart, and how they hope this new business model will embody the values of a better, more sustainable food industry.

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JBF: What was the atmosphere in the restaurant during the last week before the city forced restaurants to close? Did you have any thoughts about how long this would last?

Adrienne Lo and Abe Conlon: The atmosphere was tense and uncertain, but we were busy. Things changed very fast. With COVID-19 quickly spreading, we as owners were concerned for the safety of our teams and guests. We knew we had to adapt our business from the very start. Quick decisions had to be made as public guidance and safety regulations started to tighten. We explored many ideas that we could implement long-term as no one could predict what was happening next. Pretending it would pass quickly felt irresponsible.

JBF: Did you consider doing just straight takeout and delivery? What was the thought process behind focusing on meal kits for restaurant workers?

AL and AC: Not for long. In addition to charging unreasonable commissions, third party delivery companies seemed unequipped and untrained to provide safe service. Take-out was not an option due to safety concerns. Our priority was getting our staff home to self-monitor their health for the CDC-recommended 14 days. We used those two weeks as an opportunity to reflect and rethink what the future of our restaurant would be.

As for the meal kits for restaurant workers: in-house dining was banned in Chicago abruptly and with little notice. We knew we had to lay off our teams and many other full-service restaurants would have to do the same. Many industry workers live paycheck-to-paycheck and rarely have a fully stocked fridge or pantry at home. We and our leadership team agreed that this would be the best way to serve our staff and other members of the Chicago hospitality community.

Photo courtesy of Fat Rice

JBF: When did the idea for Super Fat Rice Mart emerge? Did you always plan on it replacing Fat Rice the restaurant, or did that become a clearer path as more information about the pandemic became public?

AL and AC: Once shelter-in-place was enforced, the future of restaurants seemed bleak. If there was a chance of surviving, we needed to operate and provide service very differently.

Launching Super Fat Rice Mart is our way of publicly stating that Fat Rice as people know it is not going to return back to “normal.” Super Fat Rice Mart is still Fat Rice. Our cook-at-home kits and grocery offerings are just the first steps of exploring what the future of a “restaurant” can be.

We, along with the entire restaurant community, must explore all options to progress, sustain, and advance good food systems and our food cultures as the pandemic continues to unfold and potentially gets worse.

JBF: Why do you think this is a better model for restaurants? From the back-of-house perspective, how does it use existing systems for sourcing/creating product, and how does it break from old models?

AL and AC: The former restaurant model as we knew it was broken already—slim profit margins, low wages for overworked employees, lack of health insurance, etc.

Restaurants in essence are simply facilities that source, receive, create, and distribute food. In our case, that has not changed.

We believe that we can provide a new form of service to excite and delight our “guests” and ultimately have a less strenuous work environment with higher wages and health benefits for traditionally neglected food service professionals.

Portuguese specialty products and pantry items on sale at Super Fat Rice Mart (photo courtesy of Fat Rice).

JBF: What does the JBF Relief Fund grant mean to you both, and to the business? What are you using the grant funds for?

AL and AC: We are beyond grateful to be one of the relief fund recipients. We plan to use the funds to ultimately give back to our neighborhood and local food communities and systems. We intend to update our facility with new safety measures and protocols to operate with our team members and guests’ health and safety at the forefront. We will support local farmers and the organic food system through getting our HACCP Certifications through a local purveyor for fermentation, canning, and vacuum sealing. This will allow us to safely process and preserve local farms’ produce, meat, and surplus food to continue to give our guests the highest quality food experiences that go beyond the walls of a restaurant.

JBF: Does Super Fat Rice Mart also encompass your bakery and cocktail lounge? Do you think there's any viability for retail businesses like the bakery over a sit-down cocktail lounge or restaurant?

AL and AC: Absolutely. As far as the bakery is concerned, a pre-paid or subscription-based model is much more viable than a traditional bakery. You are able to reduce waste, maximize labor, and increase stability. Our cocktail program was fun, creative, and refined. The lounge served as an intimate space that appealed to many. We believe that we can continue to curate and provide unique experiences whether it’s in your backyard or your bathtub.

Learn more about Open for Good, the Beard Foundation's campaign to help independent restaurants survive, rebuild, and thrive.

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Maggie Borden is content manager at the James Beard Foundation. Find her on Instagram and Twitter.