Gabriella Marks • Restaurants in COVID

“For over a decade, I’ve photographed the world of food in New Mexico, from the soil to the silverware, and have worked directly with many, if not most of the chefs and restaurants here in Santa Fe. Restaurants are not only places where we meet, spend time together, and seek nourishment and aesthetic pleasure - they are cultural repositories, keepers of food traditions, sources of our shared memories.

When CoVid hit, it became clear that our local restaurants would be among the businesses most impacted by quarantine and the economic shut down.

Unlike in the UK, where the “eat out to help out” scheme gave diners up to £10 ($13) off their meals, with the government paying the balance, there has been little governmental support for the independent restaurant community. (While the “other NRA, the National Restaurant Association” does lobby on behalf of the food industry, that is for major franchises, not independently owned restaurants like those shown here).

Even prior to the pandemic, the restaurant industry was notoriously volatile and fragile. 90% close within the first year. According to David Chang (of Momofuku, Ugly Delicious, etc fame), 90% of restaurants fail within the first year, and 99% don’t make it to the 5th year. Restaurants were already poised in a precarious place - the CoVid pandemic has shown a stark spotlight on the fragility of the restaurant industry.

What can we do to help support our local restaurants? Beyond local patronage - order take out, purchase gift cards, dine on site when allowed and feels safe, ask your congress people to co-sponsor the RESTAURANTS Act. Here in NM, all of our Representatives are co-sponsors, but our senators have yet to sign on to the Senate version of the bill. More info at saverestaurants.com

These images are part of a series that @robertnachmancd and I created together as a way to hopefully communicate visually the pandemic impact on our city, to create a portrait of how our favorite restauranteurs are navigating unprecedented turbulence.” -- Gabriella Marks

CHECK OUT GABRIELLA MARK'S INSTAGRAM HERE
VISIT GABRIELLA MARK’S WEBSITE HERE