‘For all the wrong reasons, we did well’: These Hamilton restaurants had some success during the pandemic. Here’s what they did to survive — and thrive

When you ask Scott Forbes how his restaurant and fish market managed to thrive during the pandemic, the answer is they were set up to succeed from the start.

For all the wrong reasons, we did well," said Forbes, owner of Hammerhead's on Ottawa and Hammerhead's Fresh on Locke. We were set up for a lockdown. We do takeout, we sell fresh seafood and we only have three stools by the windows."

There isn't one explanation as to why Hammerhead's was able to stay afloat, but also expand during the pandemic - they opened a second location on Locke Street this summer.

Instead, there was a cocktail of things" at play, said Forbes.

The Ottawa Street shop saw lineups at lunchtime as well as in the evenings, and on Good Friday, their fish and chip sales only sagged slightly despite the pandemic keeping people home from typical celebrations.

When Forbes compared recent sales to those in the thick of the lockdown," the eatery is doing approximately 65 per cent of those record-breaking" numbers.

I think people were being a bit more decadent at home," said Forbes, pointing to sales of premium items such as lobster. It just moved so fast."

Hammerhead's is one of many Hamilton restaurants that made it through COVID or came out the other end with a new location.

On the flip side, some restaurants closed and others are struggling with new issues, such as a labour shortage and rising food costs.

How did some restaurants manage better than others?

Anybody that was able to pivot to takeout and delivery quickly did the best during the pandemic," said James Rilett, Central Canada vice-president at Restaurants Canada. They were able to increase their customer base, weather the storm and pay their bills. It's not as easy as it sounds."

That sentiment rang true for countless Hamilton restaurants - Hammerhead's included - but some also credit other approaches, such as meal boxes to make your favourite dishes at home, community support, separate income streams and adaptability.

They also spoke highly of their dedicated staff who kept things moving amid uncertain times.

The Spectator spoke to three other businesses that made it through the pandemic with some success - here are their stories.

A saving grace'

Some Hamilton restaurants opened for the first time amid months-long shutdowns that kept their dining rooms empty.

Martello, located on James Street North near Barton Street East, opened last September, months before the province entered its second lockdown right before the holiday season.

Director of operations Gaby Gwyn-Neumann said one of their secrets to survival was The General - their sister pastry and bread shop that operates out of the same space.

Gwyn-Neumann said since the bakery opened in 2019, it had already built up a customer base prior to COVID with a bit of a cult following" for its sourdough breads and pastries. The bakery also offered a wholesale option, which helped buoy the businesses.

It was definitely a bit of a saving grace over the wintertime," said Gwyn-Neumann. It's also how we're doing OK right now, because we have that other stream of revenue, which a lot of restaurants don't."

On top of bread and pastries, Martello also opened a marketplace where they sold house-made pasta, Italian pantry goods, preserves and pickles. They also offered wine, alcohol and beer through their bottle shop.

Gwyn-Neumann said other factors of their survival included keeping labour costs low with a skeleton staff and having a landlord that was lenient" with the restaurant by not charging them rent.

He knew the work we'd put into this building and how hard we were working," said Gwyn-Neumann. He was extremely generous ... and did what he could to help us get through the worst of the pandemic."

A stroke of luck'

While some restaurants temporarily closed at the onset of the pandemic, Shorty's Pizza on Cannon Street East never missed a beat," said owner Dan Hawkins.

The pizza parlour only had a handful of dine-in tables prior to the pandemic and they already felt the love of the community who made them part of their takeout dinner routines well before COVID-19.

We were lucky in that we were in a position that a lot of restaurants in the industry had to pivot to," said Hawkins. It was just a stroke of luck."

Hawkins said that stability also allowed them to open a second location in Winnipeg this past June - a spot that has been well received" by its own community in the Prairies.

But not all of Hawkins' restaurants were so fortunate.

Shorty's Pizza is connected to both 1101 Convenience (previously known as 1101 CafeBar) and Osten Beerhall. While Shorty's was built for takeout, the other two were focused on the indoor dining experience of food, beer and cocktails.

Hawkins said the biggest pivot out of the three happened at the cafe bar amid the second lockdown - vaccines hadn't rolled out and bars were no longer packed with patrons.

To make use of the physical space, the shop was transformed into 1101 Convenience - a spot with shelves filled with chips and pantry items, fridges stocked with craft beer and where diners can grab sandwiches and drip coffee to go.

It's more of a convenience store for adults," said Hawkins. It was definitely the biggest pivot ... but also the one where the team came together the most ... and had fun with it."

The neighbourhood really responded'

When Cory Tower thinks back to the first few weeks of the pandemic, the restaurateur gets a bit choked up."

Tower owns Caro, which has locations on both Ottawa Street and James Street, as well as Victoria's at the corner of Locke and King streets.

All three of the restaurants - one of which opened just weeks before COVID-19 hit and another in the thick of it - have felt the impact of lockdowns and restrictions.

They were able to weather the storm, at least in part, thanks to community support, said Tower.

The neighbourhood really responded," he said. All of our regulars that had dined with us ... were calling and checking in, placing orders and dining out with their families. It was incredible to get that type of response."

Tower said despite their sales declining, they still sold out some evenings with takeout and delivery alone. Once their patio reopened after the first lockdown, the Ottawa Street location saw lineups nearly every night," he added.

It was amazing," said Tower. We actually did better numbers than we had done in August and September 2019 by a decent chunk and with fewer tables."

Takeout wasn't the only pivot that worked for the restaurants, said Tower. They also offered meal boxes on special occasions such as Mother's Day, and once restaurants were able to sell alcohol, they jumped on board.

It was a lot of trying to throw stuff at the wall to see what would stick," said Tower. A lot of it was also hard work and being really smart about what we were doing ... and keeping our finger on the pulse."

Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com