Not a normal day: How Memphis restaurants are coping with city water issues
Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous was one of Memphis’ restaurants open on Monday and adapting to the boil water advisory issued by Memphis Light, Gas and Water. (The Daily Memphian file)
A sudden and swift blast of cold weather that froze pipes and caused leaks all around Memphis left some city residents without running water as of Monday, Dec. 26.
It left others with low pressure and others still to boil what water they do have before use, per an advisory from Memphis Light, Gas and Water.
Local businesses and restaurants were also affected by the water woes.
While some restaurants remained closed Monday following the Christmas holiday, others were open, finding unique ways to adapt to the boil advisory.
Café Eclectic
Café Eclectic on McLean Boulevard was open Monday but hasn’t been spared from the water-related effects of the cold weather.
Owner Cathy Boulden said the restaurant staff found a “major” leak while closing on Christmas Eve, but that it has since been repaired.
The restaurant closed the following day for Christmas but re-opened Monday, albeit in a modified capacity because of the boil water advisory.
“We’re changing our orders to accommodate that,” Boulden said.
She said that because of the advisory, employees are washing their hands but using hand sanitizer afterwards.
She also said the restaurant is offering bottled water and canned soft drinks to customers, something that they normally do not do.
Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous
The Rendezous was taking similar measures as Café Eclectic on Monday, said co-owner John Vergos.
“It’s not a normal day in downtown Memphis,” he said of the of the city’s water issues.
The Rendezvous was open Monday, but Vergos said the staff were being cautious in how they used the restaurant’s water.
For example, salads were not offered Monday because of the need to wash the produce beforehand.
The use of plates was also limited; Vergos said that they opted for plastic baskets lined with wax paper.
They also brought in fresh ice and discarded the ice from the restaurant’s machines.
Like Café Eclectic, Vergos said the Rendezvous was buying bottled water and canned soft drinks to provide to customers. He also said that customers were being encouraged to bring their own water with them.
The water issues come at a crucial time for the restaurant with the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl football game on Wednesday, Dec. 28.
Vergos said the 2021 Liberty Bowl was the busiest night the Rendezvous had ever had. They seated around 3,800 people.
For this year’s game, the University of Arkansas will face the University of Kansas. Vergos said Kansas fans have been calling in droves to reserve a seat at one of the Rendezvous’ tables.
“Our phones have been ringing off the wall with Kansas fans trying to make reservations,” Vergos said.
Vergos expects the water issues to slow down the restaurant somewhat, but he also said hiccups like the boil water advisory are “endemic” to the restaurant business.
“There’s always something going on,” Vergos said.
Memphis Pizza Café
The Midtown location of Memphis Pizza Café was taking a unique approach Monday to handle the city’s ongoing water issues.
The location hasn’t sprung any leaks from busted pipes but has been affected by the boil water advisory.
Despite the effects, the restaurant has had a “pretty good start to the week,” said Peter Vidrine, a manager at the location.
Memphis Pizza Café has several restaurants around the city, one of which is in Germantown.
Memphis suburbs, including Germantown, as well as Bartlett and Collierville, were excluded from the boil water advisory as of Monday.
Vidrine said his location was relying on water supplied by the cafe’s Germantown location in five-gallon buckets.
He said the week after Christmas is typically one of the restaurant’s busiest of the year, and even with the advisory, customers have still come out.
And for any additional concerns about potential contamination, Vidrine said the nature of what the restaurant serves alleviated them.
“We’ve got some pretty hot ovens and metal pans,” Vidrine said.
Restaurant Iris, The Second Line, Pantà, Fino’s Italian Deli and Catering
All four restaurants owned by local chef Kelly English were closed Monday, Dec. 26, because of low water pressure.
Outside of not having enough water pressure at the establishments, English said there were too many questions around the specifics of the boil water advisory to be open.
“There’s just some answers we need to have,” English said.
English was concerned about how the boil advisory affects handwashing. He wondered if the water employees use to wash their hands also needed to be boiled before use. He also stressed the difficulty of the advisory, noting how water now has to be boiled prior to doing routine restaurant tasks like washing lettuce or making ice.
English has 124 employees across four restaurants, all of whom he said wanted to get back to work “like yesterday.” He said his establishments can’t afford to stay closed, and he was unsure how long they could remain that way.
“The pandemic taught me not to stress about things I can’t control,” English said.
Aarron Fleming
Aarron Fleming covers Memphis and Shelby County’s court system and is a member of The Daily Memphian’s public safety reporting team. He formerly covered education and earned his B.A. in journalism from the University of Memphis.
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