"It was money spent on labor that didn't generate sales but generated goodwill," Tracy said. They picked up prescriptions, dropped off dry cleaning, and gave rides to doctor's appointments. He and his employees also did a bunch of goodwill projects, including free car washes for customers and calling their top 500 loyalty point members and offering to run errands for them. "Doing something for others at that time sort of helped us mentally through that darkness," he said. It was what Tracy said he felt compelled to do after every server, bartender, host, and busser was out of work. It generated an extra $15,671 for the employees at two of his restaurants, Chef Geoff's and Lias, from mid-March to mid-June. They were set up as nonprofits, where 50% of all sales went to the tip jar for employees. Tracy's restaurants were selling fruits, vegetables, rice, pasta, and pasta sauces out of their pantries. "Part of it was, what are we going to do with all our inventory with no one coming into the restaurants?" Tracy said. To survive on day one of the shutdown in DC, Tracy opened up pantries, where his restaurants started selling critical supplies like bleach, gloves, and gallons of milk. Here are the steps he took to stay afloat. Today, he finally feels like things are more in a flow, with outdoor dining and their successful takeout and pickup "comfort meal" venture. Tracy said he's felt like he's run seven or eight different businesses since the pandemic hit. Restaurants across the country are also in a hole, as Business Insider reported in June. He's not wrong - CNN Business recently reported that the airline industry may need to shrink its labor costs in half to survive. Now everyone has settled into their respective mountains or holes, with grocery stores sitting on mountains and the airline industry in a hole, according to Tracy. His restaurants serve 750,000 guests each year and employ hundreds. "I didn't realize that this was going to be a full-fledged marathon with no end in sight," said Tracy, who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Then, at the beginning of April, he figured, things would get back to normal. It's certainly been an interesting ride for Tracy, husband to anchor Norah O'Donnell of "CBS Evening News" and coauthor of the New York Times bestselling cookbook "Baby Love: Healthy, Easy Delicious Meals for Your Baby and Toddler," who thought when the pandemic first came on the scene in March that it would be "the worst two to three weeks of his career." Geoff Tracy's line of Washington, DC-area restaurants have all miraculously managed to survive the last six months. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.Looking ahead, Tracy said he's been able to work out deals with "generous" landlords, but he predicted takeout and delivery are likely to stay as long as local jurisdictions keep businesses outdoors.But the crisis, he shared, has also given him an opportunity to tap into philanthropy, including offering services to his most loyal customers and creating new jobs for 200 people with PPP money.Like many restaurant owners, he's had to make sacrifices, like limiting opening hours and streamlining menus, and adjusting to new regulations hasn't been easy.Tracy told Business Insider that he's only recently gotten used to the new normal, after months of running what he said feels like seven or eight different businesses.Geoff Tracy's DC-based restaurants have stayed afloat and are slowly returning back to normal, despite the ongoing pandemic.Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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