Tag: restaurateurs

from Friday 15 January the restaurateurs are rebelling (perhaps) – Italian Cuisine

The numbers spoke of 60 thousand adhesions, reality counts much less. The trade associations dissociate themselves, but the protest speaks of a sector in difficulty that needs support. Ours too

"Wake Up! Italy reopens on January 15, without fear ". The new protest of the restaurateurs scheduled for Friday 15 January had started with "bellicose" intentions of civil disobedience: to open their premises by violating the closures imposed by the last Prime Minister's Decree. At the cry of the hashtag #ioapro, several restaurants had proclaimed they wanted to join. Or so it seems, because the numbers do not add up and the protest "from below" ends up turning out to be a political boutade. But with a clear message.

The numbers (that don't add up)

The self-proclaimed numbers on social networks and the press spoke of 60 thousand subscriptions. On the website, Ioapro.org, the activities registered for the initiative are currently only 21 and on the Facebook page they reach almost 19 thousand likes. The hashtag on Instagram has been used a little more than 1000 times and scrolling through the posts in search of some well-known name there is only a video of Vittorio Sgarbi (who insults the Government and declares to open the municipality of Sutri of which he is mayor) and post not too covertly attributable to Salvini's League, which immediately supported the initiative proposed by some restaurateurs.

The direct with Salvini which triggered the protest

It all started a few days ago by Maurizio Stara, owner of a pub in Cagliari. "I no longer turn off my sign, I open," he wrote on Facebook. But the national interest is due to Umberto Carriera, "entrepreneur, chef and writer", as he defines himself on Linkedin, with six restaurants in Pesaro. It is he who relaunched the protest live on social media with Matteo Salvini, only to end up being interviewed by newspapers and televisions, by D'Urso and Door to door.

"48 Italian cities will be involved: citizens are asking us to reopen because they want to support us. We have fielded a task force of over 30 lawyers, ”said Carriera. But no denier idea. On the social networks there is in fact an "Autonomous DPCM", that is a Practical Decalogue of Motivated Merchants and which provides for compliance with the rules of sanitation and mask, closing at 9.45 pm and the use of half of the tables.

The trade associations dissociate themselves

The trade associations responded by dissociating without ifs and buts from the initiative. «We share the frustration and sense of disorientation of so many exhibitors, which can lead to radical gestures. But precisely to support them effectively, as a representative of the largest and most widespread sector in the entire country, we exercise our role and our responsibility. Our role is to defend the category and represent its real interests, enhancing them for their ability to contribute to the good and the future of the country , writes the Italian Federation of Public Shops. "If, following forced openings, a new peak in infections were to be recorded by chance, the entire category would be further damaged also from this point of view. Italians have always shown great attachment and closeness to their public establishments, but it would be difficult to sympathize with acts so distant from shared behavior. The risk is to undertake actions without history and without a future, which penalize everyone . This is echoed by Alfredo Zini, restaurateur and president of the Confcommercio Historical Enterprises Club at “Il Fatto Quotidiano”. «The protest is dividing the category of restaurateurs and this is absolutely not good. Protests must be made respecting the rules. In Milan over 3 thousand will be the public establishments that will raise the shutters and turn on the lights, while at the moment there are no more than twenty who will let customers in, at their own risk ”, he explained. "From the trade associations there is an invitation to maximum responsibility because one can also be heard in silence. The restaurateurs are not greasers and we have always respected all the protocols .

We help the industry, in our home

From Brescia to Rovigo the prefectures promise sweeping checks and sanctions. On social media you can read statements from chefs and restaurateurs who join the chorus of complaints about closures and missed refreshments, but publicly admit that they do not want to reopen illegally, for compliance with the rules and for fear of repercussions. Administrative and image: if many customers are close to restaurateurs as well as other entrepreneurs in difficulty, many more would not appreciate a gesture that risks endangering public health.
The restaurants are open, for delivery and take-away, and in this phase they can be helped in this way. At our home.

Coronavirus: curfew in Lombardy: the anger of restaurateurs – Italian Cuisine

From Thursday 22 October the stop to activities and movements from 11 pm to 5 am starts due to the covid-19: what are the rules of the new curfew? Meanwhile, the restaurateurs protest in Milan

After the proposal of the mayors and the approval by the Minister of Health Roberto Speranza, it is official that from Thursday 22 October Lombardy will be subject to a real one curfew to try to reduce infections from coronavirus. There is talk of a ban on all activities and travel from 11pm to 5am, in the whole Lombardy, at least until 13 November. In addition, the closing of shopping centers on weekends. But will there be exceptions?

Curfew in Lombardy: self-certification returns

Most likely all those who work in bars and restaurants, such as waiters and cooks, could still move beyond 23:00. It remains to be seen until what time the restaurants will actually be open, to ensure that customers return home by 11pm.

In fact, during the curfew you can only circulate for business reasons or proven urgency. Then theself-certification, in which the reasons for the move and the place of destination must be specified.

The protest of the restaurateurs

Meanwhile, pending the order that will define in writing the new rules to follow, the restaurateurs of Milan take to the streets to request adequate protection measures.

«We decided last night to demonstrate, after the news of the request for a night curfew. The restaurateurs are not looking for welfare, but at least a reduction in taxes, local taxes and the cost of labor, which allows us to stand up ”.

There protest, in front of the regional headquarters, is addressed to President Fontana, he explains to Adnkronos Alfredo Zini, restaurateur of Milan and president of the Historical Enterprises Club of Confcommercio Milan, Lodi, Monza and Brianza.

"They are asking us to continue working with the same costs, indeed even more than before, as we have had to and continue to purchase products and devices to combat the spread of the virus, to comply with the rules that have come out in recent months, but to today we had a 60% decrease in receipts on the previous year at best. The bars and restaurants have helped the country, region and municipalities to increase revenue in the coffers of the administrations. If the state does not intervene immediately, with the appropriate tools, we risk losing one of the most important economic assets of our country ”.

Francesco Panella: Open letter to restaurateurs at the time of Covid-19 – Italian Cuisine

Guest at EPCC, Francesco Panella tells Alessandro Cattelan about the future of catering and sends a message of positivity to colleagues, heart in hand.

Francis Panella he is not only a successful restaurateur who conquered the United States with Italian cuisine, he is above all a visionary. So he defined it Alessandro Cattelan, on the occasion of his participation in the TV program EPCC – And then there is Cattelan on Sky. Live from the Milan studios, Francesco Panella brought his testimony on the restaurant situation at the time of Covid-19, which turned out to be a true declaration of love.

Friends of … table

Alessandro Cattelan has known Francesco Panella last year when he went to New York to record the special episode with Jimmy Fallon, one of the most famous American anchormans. To celebrate the milestone, Cattelan and the crew chose Francesco's restaurant and a good friendship was born from there. Cattelan could not have chosen anyone better than the known face of Little Big Italy to feel the pulse of the restaurant world from one side of the ocean to the other.

Raised in the historic Antica Pesa restaurant since 1922 in Rome owned by his family for four generations, in 2012 Francesco Panella set out to conquer New York by opening Antica Pesa Brooklyn and then Feroce in Manhattan in 2017. In his restaurants made in the U.S.A., resumes the Italian culinary tradition that in Rome carries on the brother chef Simone Panella with creativity and dedication. The American success of Francesco Panella and his restaurants is confirmed by the large clientele, which has VIP names of the caliber of Leonardo Dicaprio, Quentin Tarantino or Charlize Theron, for an endless list of Italian and international stars (take a look at the Gallery!). A further confirmation took place live during the EPCC broadcast when Cattelan and Panella connected live with the actor Andy Garcia, passionate about his carbonara strictly without cream.

Panella and the lockdown

Francesco Panella he lives in New York, but managed to return to Italy in time before the lockdown. Incurable optimist, the Roman gentleman has transformed the unpleasant situation into an opportunity to spend more time with the family and to help others. If on the one hand he became a "professor" for young Food & Beverage students, on the other he collaborated with the Italian chefs of theItalian Chefs Association New York creating una onlus Italians Feed America which served to prepare one hundred thousand meals for people in need in coronavirus emergency. As communication director of AICNY, Panella thanked his friends chefs connected live as a virtual audience for the wonderful collaboration, all superstars of Italian cuisine in the Big Apple, from Rocco DiSpirito to Ciro Iovine or Fabrizio Facchini until Barbara Pollastrini, just to name a few.

The future of catering at the time of covid-19

Between a joke and a laugh, Cattelan has dealt with Francesco Panella the future of catering, in serious difficulty due to the pandemic. It is time to put an end to the invention and work in a way that was not imagined before, suggests the conductor. "Now there is the emergency that needs to be addressed as such. I think the two fundamental things in this period are communication and the focus on security. If once the benchmark of a restaurant was the name, a dish, an ingredient, now the polar star to follow is definitely safety ", said Francesco Panella confidently.

Between social distancing, masks, gloves, and all the (very right) precautions of the case, it is difficult to combine security with the pleasure of being at the table together, says Cattelan. With his proverbial positivity, Francesco Panella he replies smiling: “There was a bit of confusion in my opinion, but luckily we have fantastic engineers, very good teachers, creatives, designers, who have given us solutions that are beautiful, innovative and also very technological! ".

Hear about it Francesco Panella about the future of catering is reassuring: “Many things will change in catering. Fortunately, architects, designers, etc … have done a lot of crazy things, for example on conservation. We will have a hot fridge that will keep the dishes at temperature and will be served in two minutes because they were previously cooked and made safe in the hot refrigerator ". Another innovation due to the ban on paper menus concerns the technology closest to us, smartphones: "The menus will be directly on the mobile phone thanks to the QR code that goes beyond the order with the waiter and the tablet, it is you who interact directly with the kitchen by sending the order. " There is no shortage of curious news such as special copper pots, antibacterial material, which will also act as a dish and allow the chef to bring the dish directly to the table by recreating theexperience direct. The importance of the experience will also be redesigned as regards the ritual of the cocktail at the counter before sitting at the table for dinner: “When we enter, it will no longer be possible to stand at the counter to enjoy the cocktail before dinner, it will be a direct experience one on one at a safe distance from the table. "

Open letter to caterers at the time of covid-19

Upon conclusion of the participation in EPCC, Francesco Panella he put on his glasses to read what his message is for the restaurant and his actors, all together to make it a film with a happy ending.

"A love story" by Francesco Panella

Work is not a job if it is not done with passion. How many times have we heard this phrase? So many. How many is it really like? Few. I am among them.

Being a restaurateur is more than a passion for me, it is life. I was actually born in a restaurant and from that moment it has always been my home.

The noise of the kitchen in full service, the screams of the chef, the waiters who move to the rhythm of the courses, the voices of the diners, the laughter, the tears … you will think "what a mess!", A mess that, to my ears , it is better than rock'n'roll.

But catering is also renunciation: it means not having schedules, it means taking risks… because a dish does not have a second chance and if you are wrong, you have failed; it means questioning yourself every day, making miles and miles to find the perfect ingredient … is giving up parties, family …

In short … You are there day after day, between the kitchen, the hall, the customers and in the end you don't know what time it is and how long you have been there. You work while others celebrate, you concentrate while others relax your nerves, you don't drink while others enjoy a good glass of wine … Yet there is something that keeps you there, nailed, that makes you get up every morning with one big awareness: that with your dishes you can make people happy. Yes, people. How important are they? For me they count more than anything else and I try to please them by doing the simplest thing in the world, by feeding them.

For this I will continue to do what I do and I know it will be hard, that we will want to throw in the towel and give up, but I want to tell you one thing dear colleagues: even if the covid-19 has bent us and many of us have failed to reopen, we must remember that what we do is important. We make people forget problems and make them feel what they really are: special. We take care of them … that's why we can't give up.