Skift Take
Spoon and Seed's owner says tough times pushed him to wear his business hat first, and the chef one second. The result —resilience amid a major tourism downturn, with a reimagined menu and a new staff management model built to face the upcoming summer visitor surge.
“I wish somebody could have documented everything that happened from March 2020 to this moment because it could be a high level, Harvard restaurant management class." That's the rumination of Matthew Tropeano, chef and owner of Spoon and Seed.
"It’s almost like I was being trained for this moment."
For Tropeano, but also for fellow restaurant owners in Cape Cod, this moment is the return of crowds eager to escape and dine out in a post-vaccine, post-pandemic America, ahead of what Cape Cod officials have predicted will be a "banner summer season."
It’s a surge that restaurateurs are eager to embrace, but for one major conundrum: a shortage of workers just as demand returns. Yet while most restaurant owners are lamenting their staffing fate — driving them to lure staff with signing bonuses — Tropeano said it was an opportunity for his restaurant to reinvent its business model this past year.
From streamlining the menu offerings to training employees so they can switch from kitchen work to dining room service in case of staff absences, and shifting table to counter service when needed, Spoon and Seed is able to better tackle the growing demand until more workers are hired.
“It’s like, man, you entered this business and you opened up your own shop so you can make your own rules — that’s why I did it,” Tropeano said. “So now has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur. Make up your own rules, do what you’re good at, show what you’ve got. That’s what I plan to do.”
In early March 2020, Spoon and Seed had 12 full-time employees and eight part time employees. It is currently back at three full-time employees, which includes Tropeano and his executive team, plus four that are part-time.
As business begins bouncing back, Spoon and Seed is looking to hire two
