This is Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and Bloomberg Quick Takes Tim Stinovic from Bloomberg Radio. At the food industry, restaurants, it's an industry that we know disproportionately has been impacted by the COVID nineteen pandemic and economic shutdown. We've talked with a lot of chefs here at Bloomberg Business Week from Danielle Blue Eric repair Uh, you name it, daniel Hoome. So let's get into it with Don Davis. She is
editor of the multimedia food journalism outlet. We're talking about bon Appetite, and she joins us on the phone in New York City. Don, nice to have you here. How are you, Carol High Nice to be here, Thanks for having me you bet uh and great to have you here. Um, Before we get to the big picture about what's going on in the food industry, I've got to ask you
about coming into a company. Um that was like everyone dealing with the pandemic, dealing with the shutdown, and then your company had another layer of stress internally over racism on several levels that led to your predecessor resigning, black editorial staff members resigning. So tell me about kind of what your world has been like since you you took over the job. You were named in late summer, so tell me a little bit about what it's been like.
Named in late summer. I came to Bone Appetite actually started in November, so I've been here a little bit more than three months, and honestly, there was nowhere to go but up because they had hit a low as they kind of reckon with their kind of racial cultural past. And we have a team that's committed to, you know, providing recipes and providing a service to the people who need us during the pandemic where we're all cooking more.
I feel that the people who have stayed are really committed, and I hopefully be creating an environment where people feel free to, you know, talk openly about what's going on and just putting out a really good product. My first as who came out in March, I've got it in my hand. And about that, I feel like it reflects a diversity of perspective, diversity of tastes. There's something for everyone in terms of accessibility, in terms of if they
aunts cook, beginning cook, and different tastes. So we are cohering as a team. Well, that is so interesting. I heard you say diversity several times in terms of how you are covering things in the magazine, like in terms of getting around racism within the corporate culture, whether it's yours anywhere, whether it's in society. We really need to approach everything with diversity. I think diversity from different perspectives.
You know, even age diversity. We were better when we have different people from different generations and different perspectives giving feedback, and so I think the product is different. Also did a story about essential workers it's called the hands that feed us. And even having a trained chef but who chooses to work at a cafeteria and at a church. You know, she's never been in a magazine like Bonappetite, So that is a diversity of perspective. And obviously we
have ethnic and cultural diversity in our pages. We have a Philippinos chef from Seattle um who runs a wonderful restaurant called The Sting. So we're trying to shake it up but always keep it fresh and always about the food at the same time. That's been the challenge. People want diversity, but they also want recipes that they can use to to see their family to comfort their family, um and what we're zooming and everything else that are
kind of relatively accessible. Yeah, it's interesting. So I'm assuming your approach is going to continue this way of just thinking about you know, when you think about the food space, the restaurant space, all of it, it is a diverse world, right. It's people who come from other countries and open up a restaurant. They bring their culture with them, their food with them. I mean, that's that's what it's all about.
That's what makes it so exciting. You know. I had the good fortune before I was a book editor for many years and thought briefly about with friends, maybe we should open up a restaurant. One day, it was just a fantasy, and someone said, you know, before you do that, you have to talk to this guy named Anthony Bourdain. And I had the good fortune of of befriending him. And one of the things he loved was just how
diverse and interesting the kitchens were. And I got to work with him every Friday for a couple of months. And it's true, people from all walks of life, all different kinds of you know, backgrounds, some lots of culinary experience, some none at all. Different continents. It was, it was beautiful. I loved it. Well, is there something about food in particular? I always think about that. I'm from a large family.
We dinner was a big deal for us. We sat around the table when we had company, we just pulled up another chair and it was just this wonderful experience. But I do think about how food can help us maybe cross some of those divides that are so systemic in our society. Absolutely, I think it's how we get to know each other. You know, it's how we extend friendship, and you know, it's how we flirt with each other,
It's how we comfort each other. I mean, I think one of the hardest things about the whole pandemic is not you know, when something goes wrong, not being able to walk over, uh you know a dish that you're so proud of and that you know will kind of provide some comfort. So absolutely so it brings us together. Yeah, no, no doubt about it. So tell me about the restaurant industry. They have definitely come together, supported frontline workers, done so much.
It's been an industry though, as I said at the top, disproportionately impacted because of the pandemic. And the shutdown. What's the way back? What are you hearing from folks in the food and restaurant space, Well, they've all had to be incredibly innovative. I'm sure you've reported one in more jobs lost in the pandemic belong in the In the food and beverage space, They've you know, created pantries where they sell olive oil or salt. They've extended their take
out and made it much more robust. And I don't know that we're ever going to go, you know, we're gonna turn away from that. The outdoor dining, particularly in New York where I live, has just been really kind of electric, everything from TPS intense to uh structures with lots of heat. But it's been hard for them, um and I think that they're going to have to just remain creative. We're all hoping that the Restaurant Relief Bill will provide the relief that they need, and without that,
it's going to be pretty bleak. I mean, it's been a little I mean, I think many people would argue that, I mean kind of shocking how much the restaurant industry was left behind. It's incredible. I mean, I know, it makes new York, New York restaurants, theater, museums, and the idea that they weren't, you know, given more relief is incredible. But hopefully this will give them some structure like the airline industry, so going forward in terms of emergencies, they
have access to emergency funds. Hey, listen, I do one and just one last question. Will there be a more cautious approach? Do you think two kind of restaurants reopening or new places coming online because of what happened in
the past year? What are you hearing? Just quickly? I think a lot of them are investing in their outdoor services so that they you know, we know what restaurants New York City applied for and got outdoor permits, so and I know vest through a great new restaurant that opened in the middle of the pandemic, they invested heavily tens of thousands of dollars in a heater system so that they could provide seating outdoors and that you could
be comfortable. I think making sure that they have you know, their own delivery service so that they can not have to pay the middleman so much for the delivery um charges will be helpful for them. Uh and I think really peering down a takeout menu and a meal kit service that some of them have done so that you know, their customers can get their favorites uh and kind of going to that hybrid model where they're hopefully going to come back full roar with the whole uh in dining experience,
but also have a robust takeout it. Yeah, they have just pivoted. It's just been amazing. Don Davis, thank you so much, editor a Bone Appetite magazine joining us