How has COVID-19 effected your business?
COVID-19 has taken a huge bite out of our business.  We started the first 2.5 months of 2020 up almost 16% over last year, and then in one day, it came to a halt.  We are a part of an industry that was lucky, in the sense, that we could stay open, with restrictions.  That restriction was that we could serve “take out” only.  That would have been great, if we were a “take out” business, but we are more than that.  Our customer base enjoys our food, but they also enjoy the whole atmosphere of The Winner’s Circle.  Which includes, our pool and game rooms, playing the lottery, especially Keno, and most of all, watching sports on the big screens, and while doing that, they are eating up some great food and having drinks.
 
Plus we have a private function room that had reservations for almost every weekend in March and April, so only being able to serve “take out” was a crushing drop in our daily business.  During normal operating times, our “take out” business was miniscule so we wondered, will they order “take out” when they can’t enjoy the other areas?  Though we have a great, loyal customer base, our “take out” business wasn’t enough to make up for losing all the revenue from the other areas of business.
 
Now that Massachusetts has started the process of re-opening, what changes have you seen in your business?
The Winner’s Circle historically operated as though you were at a ballpark.  Customer’s ordered their food at the “concession stand” and got a number.  When the food was ready the number was paged and the customer came and picked it up.  It was our unique way of operating, which kept costs down for the customer and us.  Good food at low prices.  Now we have had to implement a wait staff which requires many more employees to operate, increasing the cost of the entire operation.  Getting more employees has not been easy as the government, although it claims it wants people to go back to work, has inadvertently provided the incentive for people to make more money NOT to work between unemployment benefits and the $600 per week stimulus money.
 
What have you learned about your business over the past few months?
With virtually no income for 3 months, what costs can be eliminated or reduced.  Having been in business for almost 50 years, we are fortunate in not having a mortgage and own the property.  I don’t know how restaurants that pay rent or have a mortgage can survive this until a vaccine is available.  Even with the paycheck protection program which was very helpful, it only covered 8 weeks worth of some bills,  Because we are a “sports bar” restaurant, our business will never be the same until we can open the “bar” aspect of the business and there are sports to watch.  We also have a function room that was always mostly booked on weekends, adding to our overall income.  We are looking a months away before that happens, if it does.  Can we survive for that length of time without all of our business aspects operating?  Time will tell.