Famed restaurateurs talk COVID-19

“It’s scary,” said Sawitz at the Paul Ransom Digital Podium event. But “we’ve been through a lot… It’s because of our long-term thinking, not getting too far ahead of ourselves, that I think has been an important ingredient, an important part of the recipe, that has kept Joe’s going.”

Said Malnik: “Steve really got it right. The way we respond is the way we were brought up, what we learned from our businesses in the past. Nothing is going to change for us in terms of how we deal with the future.”

Head of School Penny Townsend introduced the two longtime restaurateurs and friends, and Director of Alumni Relations Vicki Carbonell Williamson '88 asked questions submitted by listeners. Sawitz and Malnik, both Miami natives, grew up peeling potatoes in the kitchens of their families' restaurants. Sawitz’s great-grandparents founded Joe’s as a tiny fish shack in about 1913 – not long after Ransom Everglades opened as the Adirondack-Florida School in 1903. Malnik’s father purchased The Forge – which opened in the 1920s – in the late 1960s, then remodeled it and opened it in 1968.

“In the restaurant business, you learn to do everything,” Malnik said. “There is no elitism … And, most of all, serving people, making people happy and serving my community became part of my DNA.”

Each has since assumed the mantle of the family business. The coronavirus caused the closure of Joe’s expansive dining room, which before the crisis served 1500-1800 people daily. Sawitz was forced to furlough 375 employees, which he called “one of the hardest days of my life,” but the restaurant has continued its take-out and shipping business. Malnik decided to close The Forge for renovations in advance of COVID-19, a move he admitted was fortuitous. Both said they expect a significant reshaping of the industry when dining rooms are allowed to reopen. They urged audience members to expect to pay more for meals – but to continue to support the industry.

“Who else brings you into their home – besides your mom – and treats you with love, tenderness and caring, and gives you the most important thing you want when you’re hungry – food and drink?” Malnik asked.

Sawitz noted that his 450-seat dining room will become a 186-seat dining room to accommodate six-feet social distancing requirements, and that will hurt business. Yet, both vowed that they would reopen.

“I would do anything in my life to make sure Joe’s was here,” Sawitz said. “I would beg, borrow and steal … That’s not even an option in my mind. Joe’s has to be here … We’re going to come back.”