Restaurants can be a ‘meat grinder,’ so this Wichita owner is moving to five days a week
Piatto Neapolitan Pizzeria owner Robert McMullin says he likes his staff to consist of a small group of people he knows and trusts.
He also wants those people to have a good quality of life, and part of that, he said, is giving them two consecutive days off.
The only way for those two things to work together, says McMullin — who opened the restaurant at 1706 E. Douglas in 2016, is to shorten his hours.
And so that’s what he’s going to do. Starting on July 1, the restaurant’s new hours will be 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. He’s considering opening for lunch on Saturdays, too.
“The restaurant industry for whatever reason is a meat grinder when it comes to people and employees,” he said. “I don’t like that, and so within my four walls, I’m trying to change that.”
McMullin said his staff consists of six people total, and both he and they like that familiarity.
Although there’s an “expectation for restaurants to be open seven days a week,” he said, he doesn’t think it has to be that way.
Throughout the restaurant’s tenure, McMullin has frequently tweaked the hours and days he opens, sometimes offering lunch and sometimes not.
His new plan feels right for right now, he said.
“We’re not doing it for money reasons,” he said. “We’re doing it just to take care of the staff. These people have been dedicated to what I’ve done.”
Piatto, which was closed for several weeks after coronavirus shutdowns started in March, has been reopen since May 5 but is offering carryout and patio dining only. Its hours have been 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.
McMullin said he doesn’t anticipate reopening the indoor dining room anytime soon.
“I am of the personal belief now that this is going to have to run its course,” he said.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 9:40 AM.
.jpg)