Jesse is joined by Savannah Chef and native Savannian Rae Robertson to talk about what a brutally slow Summer means for area restaurants. How do they adjust? Does this cause prices to climb? A lot of questions the average consumer doesn’t understand about how restaurants operate are answered.

Edited for brevity and clarity

Jesse Blanco: If you didn’t know, for the last 15 years, we have been airing a television show here in Savannah/Hilton Head called Eat It and Like It with Jesse Blanco. It is an Emmy nominated show, very honored to be able to share that. That was a long time ago, but it’s the only television show dedicated to the food scene here. And I share that off the top, because last week at the end of the episode—I usually share what I have been eating and liking lately with my audience. This week, I decided to scrap that, because all I’ve been eating is burgers lately. But I took a couple of minutes to share with the audience the fact that I’ve been hearing from here, there and everywhere over the summer that business is off this summer here in Savannah, Hilton Head, Beaufort, and everywhere in between. Anytime I ask someone, “Hey, how’s your summer?” I get these looks, or I get, “fine”, or I get, “man, it’s crazy…” I get kind of–I don’t want to use the word fear, but I get–what’s the word? Not concerned… I get angst, is a little bit of what I’m getting from the folks out there who are running restaurants day to day. So, with all of that as an introduction, I am joined once again by our dear friend, Rae Robertson. Good morning. How are you?

RR: Good morning, I’m great, how are you? 

JB: I’m doing okay. You are a Savannah chef. We met a couple of weeks ago—well, you and I have known each other, but you were introduced to our audience a couple of weeks ago because you’ve been in this town most of your life, right? 

RR: Yep, most of my life. 

JB: Chefing for 10 years. 

RR: Six and a half, yeah. 

JB: Six, okay, well soon to be 10. 

RR: [laughing] Soon to be 10, yes.

JB: If the price was right, we’d round it up to 10. But you and I were talking the other day about, “I’m hearing this, what are you hearing?” And you’ve heard the same, and so we thought we would discuss, kind of, the ins and outs of what’s happening right now in Savannah’s food scene. Well, first of all, welcome. 

RR: Thank you. 

JB: What was that, about a five minute introduction? Sometimes it happens that way. 

RR: Yeah, it’s fine, you gotta get it all in. 

JB: Did you have a good weekend? What have you been up to? 

RR: Yeah, I did. You know, nothing. Kids going back to school. Everybody, you know, kind of getting back in their own routine.

JB: How many kids do you have? 

RR: Four. 

JB: Four? 

RR: Yes. 

JB: That’s a lot of back to schools. 

RR: Yes. 

JB: It’s quiet in your house now. 

RR: It is very quiet. It is very quiet. It’s kind of my favorite relax time between, you know, 7:30 and 2:30. 

JB: Wow. Four, how far apart in ages? 

RR: So, my oldest is a freshman and my youngest is in third grade. 

JB: Okay, so you’ve got the most noisy. 

RR: Yes. 

JB: Because it’s in high school where they get introverted. At least mine did. Yeah, they are the most noisy. The TV’s always on. 

RR: Always. Even at two in the morning. Like, you know, can’t go back to sleep, so you just turn the TV on. 

JB: Nice. Nice, well, congratulations on getting your life back a little bit. 

RR: [laughing] Thank you. 

JB: But we’re talking about… I called you the other day and said, you know, “this is what I’m hearing. Are you hearing anything different?” Let’s start with that. I’ve heard—I’m using the word wonky, it’s what I shared with my TV audience the other day, after the 4th of July, which was a weekend this year—the 4th was a Friday—everybody I’ve spoken to has said, man, beginning that Monday, the 7th, it dried up. To the point where we were like, “where is everybody?” Have you heard something similar? 

RR: Yeah, absolutely. Everyone that I’ve talked to or just people walking around, it’s… you’re absolutely right, after July 4th, it kind of tanked. The city got slower. Everybody was kind of excited to see the rush of people coming out for the 4th of July. And then everybody is kind of looking around going, what happened? Where did everybody go?

JB: It’s bizarre when you can’t predict it.

RR: Absolutely. I mean, Savannah is not always the fastest, right? Or the busiest, I should say, during the summer months, especially, you know, from like, August to September, because it’s so hot in the city. But usually there’s still a steady influx of people, you know? The trolleys are still busy, that type of thing. But from what I’ve seen in the trolleys going by, it’s very minimal compared to what it normally is.

JB: The trolleys are—I don’t know if they know this or not, I’m sure they know it because it’s their business model. The trolleys are the visual temperature gauge. I live downtown, you spend a lot of your time downtown, when you see the trolleys going by at a peak time and there are 10 people on, it’s like, okay, it’s a soft weekend. It’s gonna be easy to walk into a restaurant tonight. 

RR: Yeah, you can gauge it, absolutely. 

JB: You totally can, and in fact, for my Eat It Florida podcast that we do every week–you can find it on Spotify and Apple Pods, shameless plug–I was chatting with a young lady in St. Augustine who said the same thing. I asked her, “how’s your summer?” She goes, “well, you know, the trolleys are doing okay.” I’m like, “oh, you guys gauge by the trolleys too?” And she said, “yeah, that’s how we do it.” I said, “yep, that’s what I do here in downtown Savannah.” But I’ve noticed on the weekends, the trolleys are more than half full. They’re not people hanging off the sides like you see sometimes. But on a Wednesday, it’s like, ooh. And it was still summer when I was noticing this, which then ties into what I said I’ve been hearing from the chefs. Have you spoken to any chefs who have told you their numbers are down? 

RR: Yeah, there’s a few that I’ve spoken to that they’ve had to, you know, peel and curb, so to speak, with certain things, just because the numbers aren’t there. There’s, you know, not people in the seats to fill. So it’s been a little bit harder than it normally is for them. But I’ve also heard it from purveyors too, certain purveyors that are trying to still lock down accounts or, you know, maintaining accounts in this area, it’s been very hard for chefs to meet their maximum numbers, because they’re still holding onto product from a couple of days ago. They’re just not blowing through it like they normally do. 

JB: How does that affect the running of a restaurant? You know, I laugh when people tell me, “oh, all these restaurants are printing money”, and no, you’re not. I say it on TV all the time and whenever I get the opportunity, the margins are tight. So when you don’t—you guys budget year to year, like anybody else. When you are soft, how does that affect the restaurant as a whole?

RR: It definitely impacts the chefs and the staff. I would say, not only does it affect the bottom line, but everyone in that restaurant is affected. Because you’re not only not ordering the same amount of products, but then you have to factor in your wait staff; you have to start cutting hours, you have to start minimizing line cook hours. And maybe that looks like the sous chef comes in two hours early because you can’t have your prep cooks there yet. So it’s a lot of ebb and flow when you don’t have those people in the seats to help out with that bottom line. 

JB: Do those types of things– the scheduling, I mean–get adjusted week to week?

RR: Ideally, especially in the summer months. That’s what you want to do, because you’re going to need them as soon as revenue and everything picks back up. So it’s a fine line of trying to keep your staff happy, because they have bills to pay as well, but you also have bills to pay as a restaurant. 

JB: Sure, sure. And then I’m guessing that you get into a situation where you keep having to cut certain people, and they get frustrated and leave. 

RR: Yep. All the time. You know, because especially at those–I don’t like saying lower positions because they’re not, but at the same time, they’re not the salary positions. So it’s a little–those people count on those 40 hours a week. So when you have to dial back sometimes to only giving them 25, or maybe it is 40, but they’re used to getting that little extra overtime, they’re no longer collecting that overtime. So it gets very hard, especially when you have good staff, to maintain those hours and keep those good staff on when you’re not making that revenue. 

JB: We’ve been soft here. I’ve heard it here in Savannah, I’ve heard it in Hilton Head, I’ve heard it in Beaufort… we’ve been soft. Do you think, from what you’ve heard, we’ve been soft enough to where some places are cutting hours? I would guess no.

RR: I don’t think we’re quite there yet. But I think they have been dialing it back a little bit. Just being mindful about who’s on when, when they bring everybody in, how soon they’re trying to get everybody out… they are being very mindful, but I don’t think we’re quite there, to where we’re having to dock hours as much as normally. 

JB: Yeah, I–not knowing the inner workings of the business, that would be kinda what my guess would be. It’s kind of, okay, we’re watching this, and if it continues like this, we’re gonna have to start making some uncomfortable decisions, kinda thing. I don’t know how closely you pay attention to the news, but, you know, it’s not just here. We were talking about it before we started rolling here, the pictures and videos that we’re seeing in Las Vegas. 

RR: Yeah. 

JB: It’s like, it’s a ghost town. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s 145 degrees in Vegas, you used to live in Phoenix so you know all about that dry heat. 

RR: Yeah, it’s like opening an oven. 

JB: [laughing] Right. But I’ve been to Vegas in July and August, numbers of times. The last time–no, not the last time, two times ago in Vegas, we spent five days in July for my nephew’s 21st birthday, and it was hotter than Hades. And actually, we got a thunderstorm that week, it was like a tornado rolled through the swimming pool area at Caesar’s Palace, like, oh my goodness, which rarely happens, I don’t need to tell you. But the point being, it’s always hot in Vegas in the summer, but it’s not always deserted. You said you saw, what, the stadium? 

RR: Yeah, I think it’s Stadium Swim, and, you know, it’s the one with all the big Jumbotrons and all the TVs playing all the games, you know, from hockey to football to baseball—no matter what it is, it’s on the screen. And they were having cabana sales left and right, like just trying to get people in the doors, to the point where they were including bottle service and bottles with selling the cabana, which is unheard of. 

JB: Yeah. Yeah, and as expensive as those bottles are, I know from experience, you start giving those away, that affects your bottom line eventually. Yeah, I saw a video just this morning, I’d been reading about it because I did a little bit of research for our chat here now, and how the numbers are off for Vegas dramatically, and then you see a piece of video of a guy walking down the strip yesterday saying “there is literally nobody here.” I mean, it… I was gonna say it looks like three o’clock in the morning, but three o’clock in the morning in Vegas is like, you know, five o’clock here, [laughing] but it was deserted. There was, like, nobody in this video. And I’m not gonna go crazy and call it alarmist, because we’re seeing it in too many places. Everywhere is just soft. 

RR: Everywhere.

JB: Everywhere. And you know, the 600 pound gorilla in the room is, why? And we are not going to get into what we think, why, but it is fair to say that everybody in this country is paying close attention to why. And everybody is kind of guarding their pocketbook. 

RR: 100%. 

JB: Holding onto their wallet a little bit tighter because of uncertainty. And as a result, as it affects us and why we’re here talking about it, we’re on this side of it. Because it trickles down to me, if restaurants are doing poorly, trust me, my ad revenue does poorly. It trickles down to me, that’s just the way it works. So I see it, sometimes I feel it, but it’s… I don’t wanna say a scary time, I don’t wanna be that guy, but it is something that everyone is dealing with now, whether or not the average person thinks these restaurateurs are just sitting back counting their millions on their yacht. 

RR: Yeah, I mean, that would be nice. I mean, I would love to be one of those restaurateurs, but I think even they are just watching anxiously. I mean, because we could sit here and speculate all day long that we think we know what it is, or regardless of what it is, it’s still happening. So everybody is a little cautious about making those decisions and, you know, jumping out of the boat just yet when we don’t know how rocky the seas are. You know, we’re getting some waves, but we’re, right now, still trying to navigate what that looks like. 

JB: Different strokes for different folks, thresholds for pain and all of that stuff. It varies person to person, but it is fair to say that—I mentioned it, like I said now a few times on TV the other day, the restaurateurs are being cautious themselves, because the consumer is being cautious. And that’s not, I don’t like the word scary because we’re not here to make it sound like it’s the end of the world. But it’s an interesting time right now as compared to a couple of years ago, and I know you were here for it based on the places that you worked, where there was a time where you were setting records almost all the time, correct? 

RR: All the time, every outlet was full.

JB: Yeah, I heard–I’ll leave names of restaurants out of it, but I heard from a number of restaurateurs about two years ago–two, three years ago now, yeah, ‘22-’23, you know, post shutdown, people weren’t traveling overseas as much. Everybody was driving in Savannah, “yeah, we set a record for December 27th, all-time record for December 27th.” And then like a week later, “we broke the all-time record on January 2nd.” I was hearing stuff like that from more than one source. So everybody had their wave, but now it’s kind of a period of uncertainty. So what would you recommend? You know, we’re here to tell everybody to go out to eat as often as you can afford. 

RR: Absolutely.

JB: What’s your advice to people? I mean, obviously you’re not here to spend other people’s money, and it would be nice to say, “go out and eat all the time!” But I guess the question is, restaurants are feeling a pinch more than the average customer ever knows, right? 

RR: Yes. I also think that the customer needs to be a little gracious, and a little bit understanding, when it comes to when you’re going out to eat, and when you’re sitting down and looking at that menu, like we’ve been talking about, everybody is feeling the effects of whatever is happening. Just like you said, everybody’s holding tight onto their wallet just a little bit more. And so, with that as well, we have to take into account a lot of things when making menus. Like I hear people right now being like, “I went out to eat and me and my husband spent $100”. And unfortunately, I wish that wasn’t the new norm, but right now it is with the way the market is, and, like you said, not having those people in the seat as much as we used to, and people are choosing exactly where they want to eat. You know, you have to be willing to pay that price right now. And so that has an impact as well. 

JB: Our next chat here will be about the cost of food. 

RR: And that’s to say too, it’s not taking away from quality either, because I know a lot of foodies will see that the price doesn’t–you know, they get worried. “Am I going to–is it going to match what I want? Is it worth it?” And, you know, sometimes you just have to take that risk, because nine times out of ten, it is worth it.

JB: Yeah. Yeah, it’s just a weird time right now. And man, you said you’ve been chefing six and a half years? 

RR: Yeah. 

JB: Have you been through anything like this?

RR: Yeah, so I was there in the start of COVID. And then I had saliva gland cancer during COVID, so I had two major surgeries during COVID. But during that time I was very connected with all the chefs and what they were going through. And I would say it’s pretty similar. There are similarities, but we are looking at it differently at this go-around. Does that make sense? Like, I feel like with COVID we were kind of caught off guard and didn’t really know how to adjust it and pivot? Whereas now, you know, we’re looking at everything and we’re able to take a step back and, you know, be more methodical with how we’re dealing with this versus in the past.

JB: Have you spoken to anyone about, “well, in the fall everything will pick up”, or is there fear that it might not as much as it should? 

RR: I’ve heard mixed from both. I think all of us are very optimistic right now, so, we all want to put our eggs, sort of to speak, in one basket, saying that fall will bring it back and we’ll feel a little bit more confident in where we stand. But at the same time, I’ve heard from other chefs that it’s kind of like the wait and see game. 

JB: And it’s hard when you underperform for a quarter. You don’t ever—as far as I–you know, as it affects my business, if you’re soft, Q3, you don’t double Q4 and forget about Q3. It’s a number you have to absorb going forward. 

RR: Correct. Yeah. You can’t just write it off. I wish it was that easy, but you can’t. 

JB: No. “Well, we’ll make it all back and then some at the end of the year…” no, that’s money you lose and you typically don’t get it back. I will ask you—I do want to have a full conversation next time about costs, labor and otherwise, but are you seeing the prices of product skyrocket? Skyrocket is a judgmental word, are you seeing it creep up? 

RR: A little bit for certain things. Like I remember two, three years ago where getting a case full of eggs was astronomical. Like, if you were a breakfast spot, which is where I was working at the time, like half of my budget for food went to dairy products, whether it was eggs, milk, or butter. Those were just the high target items. And now those have dropped to a decent price, but now you’re seeing it in other products, that it’s all ebb and flow. Like I said, it’s about picking and choosing, but it’s still waves right now, where some products are more expensive than others.

JB: Yeah, and as we learned five years ago now, you can’t just raise your price on things based on what it costs you, because then you have to print all new menus. 

RR: Right. And even for me, working at the breakfast spot, just because eggs went up didn’t mean the price of my breakfast plate went up. It was kind something you had to absorb, and then figure out how to round that corner in a different way to make back what you spent. 

JB: Yeah, I remember a few years ago—well, I think it might have been a year and a half ago, when we had the egg drama. I think it was Waffle House–

RR: Yep, Waffle House put the $2 egg surcharge on their menu. And they just dropped it like a couple of months ago. 

JB: Really? Was it $2? 

RR: I think, I want to say it was $2. I could be completely wrong. 

JB: I think I saw 50 cents per egg. I think. Whatever it was, yeah, it had the little sticker. Like, damn man, 50 cents per egg is a lot. I think I’m gonna stay home and scramble my own eggs. But that affects everything, and that affects everything that we’re talking about here, you know, a surcharge on eggs at Waffle House makes people wanna stay home. And not get on the trolley, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

RR: Yeah.

JB: Alright, anywho, well thank you for hanging out. 

RR: Yeah, always.

JB: Next time we’ll talk about labor. I’m looking forward to that, labor and cost, because would you agree the average person just doesn’t get it? 

RR: Yeah. I mean, it’s the same thing with what we’re talking about here. It’s all cyclical. We, as the consumers, have to bolster the community in restaurants, but also the restaurants have to be open to what the consumer’s feedback is. It’s all a cycle. 

JB: And how much fun it is. 

RR: So much fun. So much fun. 

JB: [laughing] We’ll see you next time. Thank you.