By Alyssa Weathers-Murphy
July 5, 2022

Edmond restaurants need support post-pandemic

Local restaurants are still facing staffing shortages, supply chain issues, and negative public reviews two years after COVID-19 began.
Steve and Karen Seikel, founders of Steve's Rib in Edmond (Photo: Brent Fuchs)

Local Edmond restaurants—especially family-owned and operated restaurants—need our compassion, support, and dollars now more than ever. Yes, even now, over two years since the pandemic came to the United States. 

In the interest of full disclosure, my perspective on this issue is from someone who runs a marketing company that helps restaurants with the daily tasks of promoting their businesses. Happy hours, specials, dine-in, curbside, delivery apps, holiday catering, you name it, my team and I have helped our clients advertise it online. 

These past two years, the toughest part of the job has been witnessing the onslaught of one-star and two-star Google reviews from angry customers who were upset at the quality of the meat in their meals, the level of customer service, or a change in hours of operation. All of this, despite the fact that there were (and still are) meat shortages, labor shortages, and not enough foot traffic to keep the everyday family business afloat. I want to share with you the experience of one local Edmond restaurant. 

A little backstory

In the early 90s, my family lived in a neighborhood near Danforth & Boulevard. At the time, the Homeland at Santa Fe and Edmond Road was one of the grocery stores we frequented (yes, this was before the Walmart SuperCenter came to town). I loved going to this store as a child, mainly because they had little shopping carts for kids who wanted to (pretend to) help their parents shop, and they had a barbeque stand in the front. The minute you walked into the foyer, the aromas of smoked meats would make your mouth water. 

That barbeque vendor sold the most delicious ribs, brisket, and sides—it was a family favorite. On special nights, my parents would bring those delicious meats home for dinner. The owners of that stand had two little girls my age who would occasionally sit at the front with their parents.

The famous baby back ribs at Steve’s Rib (Photo: Brent Fuchs)

The barbeque stand was called Steve’s Rib, founded by Edmond local Steve Seikel and his wife, Karen. The legend goes that Steve sold ribs to support his family and finish architecture school. By the time he finished school, the rib business was so successful they decided to move forward with a restaurant concept.

In 2005, the family built a new building just around the corner (the main location located off Edmond Rd.) from the shopping center they started in. The business expanded to a sports bar concept, grew its staff, and added to the menu. 

I didn’t know it at the time, but one of their little girls, Jessica (who goes by “Jessie”), would become one of my best lifelong friends and would share so many childhood milestones, teen years, college, and more together. I practically grew up at the Seikel house, getting into (some) trouble, boys, drama, and all that comes with adolescence.

When I started my marketing company in 2018, Jessie supported me by hiring us to build their website, and eventually, we started helping out with their social media. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, my team and I witnessed firsthand what the Seikel family, and other locally-owned restaurants, were facing. I got to sit down and talk with my best friend and debrief about these harrowing two years in the restaurant industry.

COVID impacts and hurdles

Labor & operations

When the shutdowns started, Steve’s Rib was faced with having to lay off servers, bartenders, and hosts and cut the hours of others. This was, at the time, the most challenging thing Jessie had faced since working in a leadership position in the restaurant. 

“It was really hard to see them go through the uncertainty of their jobs and not knowing what to do. These people are like family, you know?” said Jessica. “The shutdowns caused us to lose business too because we were downsized to takeout only. Our drive-thru sales went from 30% of our sales to 100%.” 

The owners tried to keep their best Front of House staff by using them to run drive-thru registers and, shortly after, as carhops for curbside orders. They had some small business from DoorDash and Postmates before the pandemic, but afterward, it was also huge in keeping the restaurant afloat. 

“After the shutdowns were lifted, and everyone was expected to go back to full service again, we had a really hard time staffing back up,” said Jessica. “Most of our best that were laid off had moved on, understandably, and there weren’t many coming in to apply.” 

The company decided to modify operations and move to counter service, allowing the continued opening of the dining rooms without the need for so many team members. 

Jessica Hill, daughter of Steve, and her husband John and daughter Pearly at Steve’s Rib (Photo: Brent Fuchs)

“This was when I was still pregnant with our daughter, and I wasn’t able to be up there as much, so Karen, my mom, jumped in to fill in for me,” said Jessica. “She was up there every day just as I would have been working like she used to back in the early days before they had other managers in place.”

By the time she returned, things had changed a lot. Most of the staff had changed, and there were a lot of new faces. The business continued to struggle to keep a full staff in the kitchen and eventually was forced to reduce hours of operation to just five days a week, Wednesday-Sunday. This allowed the small staff to get the time off since there weren’t enough team members to run all seven days. At one point, Jessie and her husband John did all the cooking for an entire week. 

Supply chain issues

Aside from the staffing issues, Steve’s Rib also faced supply chain issues. The business couldn’t get its normal packaging and was suddenly receiving substitute products from vendors. Many were inconsistent, like cups with lids that didn’t match or containers with mismatched colors. Meat prices went crazy, and keeping up with the changing prices was challenging. 

“We ended up cutting steaks and prime rib from the menu, among other things,” said Jessica. “Many products became scarce or unavailable at times, and we would just keep working around it. I often made many trips to grocery stores looking for what we needed.” 

The biggest challenge of all

During Jessie’s pregnancy, her mom Karen covered for her during the month leading up to her delivery. She shared her perspective on the most significant hurdle she faced at Steve’s Rib during the pandemic. 

“It’s the staffing,” said Karen. “We’ve been running a successful business for over 34 years and have pivoted to make changes that worked out along the way. When the pandemic hit, the entire industry was upended.”

While I’ve seen the trickle of reviews, both positive and negative, trickle in on their social media platforms, Karen and Jessie both shared that many customers are not sympathetic or even aware of how this worldwide event has impacted restaurants. Small restaurants are not out of the woods yet, even if COVID numbers have plummeted.

According to a recent report by CNBC, food costs are up for 9 out of 10 [United States] restaurant operators compared with pre-pandemic levels, and profits are down for 80% of operators compared with 2019. Further, 96% of operators experienced supply delays or shortages of crucial food or beverage items in 2021—and these challenges will likely continue in 2022. 

The National Restaurant Association is urging Congress to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Half of restaurant operators that did not receive grants from the $28.6 billion program feel it’s unlikely they will stay in business without the funds. 

How you can help

So, how can Edmond residents support our restaurants and help them recover? 

  1. Be patient. Many of these operators have struggled with staffing, inflation, supply shortages, quality of food products, and the list goes on. If your order isn’t up to the quality you usually see, there is a reason for it. 
  2. Provide feedback directly to the business owner. I get it. Nobody likes going through a frustrating dining experience. But, before taking to Google or other social media platforms to leave negative public reviews, try inboxing the business or calling to share your experience with a manager. Give the restaurant a shot to make it right before leaving a lasting impact on their business profiles. You’d be surprised how many business owners will go above and beyond to make you happy rather than see their online reputation tarnished.
  3. Be kind. This is a big one. We do not live in a vacuum. People make mistakes. These businesses are still struggling and may continue to struggle for some time, long after the pandemic is gone. Remember that the servers, bartenders, bussers, baristas, and managers are human beings like you! Not only that, but these people have been through an exceptionally difficult time over the last two years. Whether your order was wrong or the service was slow, you will survive. You have it in you, dear reader, to be a kind and understanding human being, even for the sake of helping small business owners keep the talent they currently have.

Eat at a local, family-owned restaurant today. Take your family and friends. Tip well.

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About Alyssa Weathers-Murphy

Alyssa Weathers-Murphy is the owner & founder of Siren Media, a digital marketing agency that serves the needs of locally-owned small businesses. She was raised in Edmond and attended the University of Central Oklahoma, where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a major in marketing and a minor in professional selling. She attributes her interest in business and marketing to her family's small business, Weathers TV & Appliance, which has been a staple in Downtown Edmond for over 60 years.

She is a Past President of the American Marketing Association of Oklahoma, an active member of the Oklahoma City Midtown Rotary Executive Board, a former President of the BNI Scissortail Business Alliance chapter, and is a vocal advocate for women in business and the success of small businesses. When she isn't doing business-related things, you can probably find Alyssa hanging out with her 3 cats, gardening, spending time with her husband, Matt, or sipping a glass of pinot grigio at her favorite wine bar.