Belted out with vigor and a smile, the words “Let’s go for a ride” have launched many a wonderful open road adventure, one which often concludes with dinner at a favorite restaurant. Such an afternoon escape, not long ago ranked in the higher echelon of simple pleasures. Who could have foreseen that restaurants, especially “your” favorite restaurant would be an endangered species. It appears that the pandemic has placed many favorite eateries in the cross hairs of potential extinction before the new normal arrives.

We took the Drivin’ News 1972 VW Westfalia out to get dinner and answers at some of our favorite local restaurants. What we found revealed the strong bond between communities and their restaurants and the profound impact that that relationship would have in shaping the character of our communities when the new normal arrives.

TAKE-OUT – A lifeline to the future

With the present pandemic restrictions, our VW Westfalia affords what can only be described as the pinnacle of present day dining out experiences. Supplementing the fold-out table, refrigerator (cooler with a door), sink (yes, running water) and pop-up top to allow for standing, our dining experience featured VW themed designer cutlery and place settings. Proper social distancing is no problem. There is only room for two.

All the restaurants visited functioned with an almost military precision. Cell phones alerted customers to pull up as the food came from the kitchen. Payment was either done by card in advance or with mobile hand units at pickup.

Many restaurants had canopied seating, some with music for patrons who wished to dine out on site. All food does have to be served in take out containers.

Survival stories on the road to the “new normal”

It has become painfully clear that many fine and favorite eateries which have delighted our palates before the pandemic could well be gone when better days return.

For the many quality restaurants not mentioned in this story it can be accepted that all share similar challenges and concerns as expressed by the restaurateurs quoted here.

With a shared voice they all spoke to the critical importance of TAKE-OUT as the lifeline that will bridge this crisis and allow for a future in the “new normal.”

While facing this uncertain and difficult time, all proprietors made a point of expressing their profound gratitude for the support of the surrounding community that has risen to sustain them. The quality of their words reflected those of a farmer whose neighbors rallied to sandbag a river to save his crops from being lost.

Click on the Restaurant’s name to go to their website.

Chris D’Eletto (Jack’s Café – Westwood)

I have owned Jack’s Café for almost 14 years. Presently TAKE-OUT is everything. We are at a fraction of our normal business but we are holding on. I miss the people. I am so thankful that I am going to be allowed to have some seating on June 15^th though it will only be half capacity. Before Covid-19 It was already hard to make a living in the restaurant business so TAKE OUT will remain critical to our survival.

This community is awesome. I love Westwood. I live in Westwood. I am proud of my community. The people have been incredibly faithful. We have people who order every week. Sometimes twice a week. They are great.

I am going to make it. Absolutely. This is my life.

Malissa Wright (Peppercorn’s – Park Ridge)

I have owned Peppercorn’s for a year. I never saw this coming. They say tough times make you tougher. So be it. Right now if it wasn’t for TAKE-OUT I would have my doors shut.

Peppercorn’s has been around a long time. I am humbled by how Peppercorn’s customers have responded to our situation with their support and loyalty. They are making a concerted effort to support us. It’s been very, very humbling.

We have started our outside seating which will make a great difference. Still TAKE-OUT remains so important.

Peppercorn’s will survive.

Thomas Davey (Davey’s Locker – Montvale)

Davey’s Locker has been in my family for 46 years. My dad bought it in 1974.

TAKE-OUT is all we have. It isn’t a long term solution but it is sustaining us as we bridge to the future “new normal.” Opening up outside is going to help. We are planning for inside where  we will have socially distanced seating. If we are lucky we will be doing maybe half of what we used to do. TAKE-OUT will remain fundamental to our continued existence.

I can’t say enough about the community. Incredible. After St. Patrick’s Day we shut down. Everyone was locked down. After about 4 weeks I set up a little tent outside and sold Davey’s digital gift cards. People came in to say hello and buy gift cards. Talk about faith. People didn’t know if Davey’s was ever going to open up again. We sold thousands of dollars in gift cards. What can I say? We opened up.

Ralph Colantuono (Granita Grille – Westwood)

I’ve owned the Granita Grill for 22 years. TAKE-OUT is everything. I do not have a lot of space for outside seating so until people can come indoors, TAKE-OUT is my lifeline to the future.

I cannot express my gratitude to the community for their support. Our traditional regulars as well as surrounding community members have made all of the difference in the world.

Frank Hernandez (Cornerstone – Hillsdale)

Cornerstone has been in business 14 years, Frank Hernandez has been manager for one year.

TAKE-OUT is the lifeblood of our business. That is all we have going at this point. Thankfully the community has been fantastic in supporting us from the day this all started.

Clearly we are eager to welcome people back inside in a reconfigured socially distanced layout. We hope people appreciate that the restaurant business is in the best position to do things properly as constant Health Department oversight ensures that proper procedures are in place.

Randy Carson (Park Steakhouse – Park Ridge)

I have owned Park Steakhouse for 15 years.

It is only because of the tremendous support from the people of Park Ridge and the surrounding community for our TAKE-OUT business that we can stay afloat until we get the new normal sorted out. Right now we are creating a sheltered outdoor dining area.

Park Ridge has been wonderful to us. Everybody has really pulled together to help us through this. In having the community there for us now will allow us to be there for them in the future.

What then can each of us do to ensure that we don’t find ourselves yearning for that favorite entree with no recourse but a taunting and flavorless memory? Clearly, to the Covid-19 mantra of “wear a mask” and “wash your hands” we must add ORDER TAKE-OUT!

Share with us your favorite restaurant after a drive. Give them some recognition in the comments section. It just may make the difference.

While fulfilling our duty to practice “social distancing” we should embrace the opportunity to  reduce emotional distance. Check in on an old friend. Call a sibling more frequently. Put Adirondack chairs on you front lawn and talk to your neighbors as they walk by. Or in the case of car guys, translate your motoring isolation into a fund raising group opportunity – like the Drivin’ News Food Drive.

Carnucopia Food Drive Results

Over the years Janelle Larghi has witnessed a great deal of need as Director of the Tri-Boro Food Pantry in Park Ridge, NJ. “But, never anything like this,” says Director Larghi.

Since the state imposed its shelter-in-place lockdown, demand on the pantry’s resources has more than tripled. Where last May the pantry normally served 30 families a week, This May it serves 110 families a week.

Larghi’s connection to the food pantry runs deep. Her grandfather co-founded it in the early 1980s. Larghi says, “the Tri-Boro Food Pantry’s mission calls for providing food to anyone in need who comes here for help. Plain and simple”

Serving primarily Bergen County, clients of the Tri-Boro Food Pantry represent a large cross section of people including working class families, senior citizens, immigrant families and handicapped residents from local facilities.

Says Larghi, “I don’t see any immediate end to this situation of people needing assistance.”

“Luckily for us, we have the generosity of the community and a lot of businesses, parishes, individuals and groups like Drivin’ News, Rockland Rodders and the local Corvette Club. All are helping us meet the demand. We couldn’t do it without everybody’s help.” says Larghi.

While the Tri-Boro Food Pantry faces each day challenged to operate at a level far beyond what was once normal, Larghi made a point to emphasize saying, “Anyone who needs food or assistance should put their pride aside and come to us for help because that’s why we’re here.”

For many readers of Drivin News, the idea of the “Food Drive” offered a welcome means for helping people in this challenging time.

Though Memorial Day weekend, an autumn-like chill accompanied the Food Drive participants as they assembled in the deserted Kohl’s parking lot just south of the New York Thruway. An eclectic and wonderful collection, some vehicles represented the fruits of years of meticulous reconstruction while others reflected on-going preservation efforts that sought to stall the ravages of time. Others were messengers from history recalling distant memories of family adventure.

However, as if Andromeda Strain author Michael Crichton had crafted some bizarre perversion of what was once normal life, drivers casually sported face obscuring surgeons’ masks or bandit bandanas plus surgeon’s gloves.

With cars spaced apart every other parking spot, drivers meandered in orbit about their vehicles while maintaining a proper distance from the surrounding drivers.

A year earlier and a life time away, this scene was unthinkable. Much has changed since the ides of March 2020.

As drivers arrived the fleet expanded to include a mix of iconic contemporary and vintage collectible vehicles including a BMW Z8, Nissan GT-R, various Porsches, Mercedes-Benz SLs, Corvettes, 70’s Mopar muscle and a vintage cluster that included an air cooled Corvair, Volkswagen Westfalia and the Drivin’ News F100 pickup.

Departing at 8:30 the masked motorists circled the Kohl’s parking lot to pass the Drivin’ News 1953 Ford F100 pickup and drop off their donations.

Lead by Peter Desbet’s in his 1986 Guards Red 911 Porsche, the group, with masks cast off, burst out onto a desolate Route 17 enroute to Harriman State Park and the two lane roads that snake through its 44,000 wooded acres.

Though restricted by New York State Covid-19 related road closures, the “Food Drive’s” early departure allowed the group to navigate the trip to the Bear Mountain Circle and back effortlessly. It was only later with Harriman left in the group’s tail lights that the peace and tranquility of Seven Lakes Drive would, thanks to New York State mandate, acquire the charm of a Cold War Eastern Block border crossing.

As the participants spilled out of the Seven Lakes Drive exit on to Route 17, they could rumble home having given their cars a much needed workout and the Tri-Boro Food Pantry a much needed $1,000.

He never saw this coming. Embedded in the classic car culture Matt Maisano, owner of Motorcar Manor a premier collectible automobile storage facility in Ramsey, NJ, has built his business by being a forward thinking guy. Fortunately, He has always strived to be prepared for the unexpected.

Let’s see what he is preparing for now.

Collectible car culture in a pandemic –

An insider’s perspective

Tell us about Motorcar Manor?

I love classic cars. Whether I own the car or someone else does, I love everything about it. If I did not own Motorcar Manor, I would visit it whenever I could. Other than a world class museum, where else could you enjoy such an eclectic collection of automotive art?
I appreciate the joy each of these rare, beautiful and athletic works of art and genius conveys to its owner. As a business, MCM stores all clients’ vehicles the same as if they were my own. Yes, MCM is a business, but for me it is a passion.

At MCM we store special vehicles. We assist people in buying and selling vehicles. We assist in providing vehicles for film and magazine placement. We recently placed vehicles in The Irishman and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

How has Covid-19 affected your business?

Initially it really has not impacted us. We’re still storing people’s cars because the weather here in the Northeast until recently has been pretty gloomy.

That said Regardless of weather, some clients are like clockwork. End of March the car gets detailed and leaves to return in the fall.

However, some cars are staying longer. This impacts MCM because people usually get a premium detailing before taking the car. Detailing is an important source of income. Frankly, I think until people get a better understanding of the virus some people will choose not to expose their prized vehicles to other people.

As well our vehicle sales have taken a hit. I believe the decline in sales reflects people’s concerns about social distancing. I believe that will soon change for the better as people become more comfortable in knowing how to safely interact.

Frankly, some people may just choose to leave cars here until some kind of normalcy returns. Also, I have a couple of clients that are snow birds. I’m willing to bet those guys are not coming back any time soon.

We won’t feel the impact until June or July.

How do you see Covid-19 impacting auctions?

Through March maybe 10 to 12 different live auctions were cancelled. Some of the higher end auctions have gone the online route. RM did an online auction and was decently successful. They had more potential bidders than they had last year, which was just a normal auction. They did maybe $13.7 million worth of cars, which is lower than what they sold in the past, but the number and quality of vehicles was lower.

I think that we will see more and more online auctions. Not just from the big name guys either. New companies will start popping up because the cost is significantly less to do it online than in person. Also, as a society we are getting increasingly lazy. In the world of Amazon Prime, The new generation of buyers is just far less willing to wait months or years for the right car. We want it yesterday.

Interestingly, Bring A Trailer has done very well. Obviously it depends on the particular vehicle, but they’ve done very well auction wise.

Why do you think Bring A Trailer is doing well?

It’s primarily that Bring A Trailer constantly has auctions. Today, nobody’s doing anything right now. We’re all home. We’re all on the computer if you have a job. So every now and then if you take a break you’re gonna go on BAT. There’s no one looking over your shoulder saying hey, what are you doing right now? And we’re all dreaming of the day that we can go out to shows or drives.

As well, I think it has to do with the age group of the people buying and selling and the type of cars that BAT typically sells. European cars and Japanese Imports even newer domestics have definitely been more popular. Vehicles 25 years old and newer are drawing great “Newtimer” interest. It’s not necessarily that they’re higher value than the older cars. They’re just more popular right now with the age group of people in their late 20s to early 50s that is not as affected by this virus economically.

Based on their life experiences this “Youngtimer” generation of buyers appears to be getting comfortable with a new norm where something bad will happen and then life will get better again. The virus really hasn’t impacted them as it has the older demographic.

With all that is going on, if you’re over 65 with your money is in a 401k you are probably not thinking this is a great time to spend $100,000 on a collectible car.

Could you see live auctions going away?

I think you’ll see a couple of live auctions go away. However, it’s never going to be fully online. Part of the reason live auctions will continue is that auction houses bank on these auctions being a destination.
They make it a weekend long party. Companies like Barrett-Jackson and Mecum will continue live events. Even the higher-end auctions like Bonhams, RM and Gooding want you there. They want friends around you to push you to buy a car. They want you to get boozed up, so you make bad decisions. You know, that’s just all part of it and getting caught up in the whole atmosphere of things.

Have car sales suffered during the pandemic?

Older iron was dwindling down in popularity already, but the age group that would be interested is the one impacted by this virus. Most are already on fixed incomes with money set aside to purchase a vehicle. But now they don’t want to go anywhere. They don’t know what’s going to happen to them. They don’t know what’s going to happen to their loved ones.  Fewer in that generation are at ease making a big expenditure on a classic car with an uncertain future.

However, especially for the new generation of buyers based on their “bad right now, but back to better later” mentality the current pandemic might be an opportunity. Some may view this period as a market correction with a price spike awaiting in the somewhat near future much like after the stock market crash in 2008.

Will Covid-19 affect how you interact with a client’s vehicle?

I have asthma. When a customer brings in a car, we allow them to pull it into the building. Before they exit I have them roll down the windows. I then let the car sit for 24 hours before I go inside. Even then when I do enter the vehicle I’m putting down plastic on their seat. I’m wearing gloves and I’m wearing a mask. That’s just how I’m doing it when receiving a car.

On the personal side, how has the new normal impacted your home life?

I am trying to help out at home. My wife, Jill, is working from home. We have three kids, two girls 9 and 2 and a boy 6. Honestly, I don’t know if I’m making things better. With home schooling, I’m trying. At best, I’m like the gym instructor filling in for a missing teacher. We try to get their schooling done by one o’clock. Then I try to bleed off some of their energy. You know like, hey let’s run around the yard. Does nothing. At times in desperation I put up one of those bouncy houses in my living room.

I haven’t had a haircut since the last week of February. I will not take my hat off.

It’s crazy.