“Things continue to evolve and there continues to be ripple effects from Covid that a lot of us are finally feeling and experiencing now that are likely sustained changes,” Dimmick said.
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
The key to being successful is to adapt and make changes.
What restauranteurs are feeling
In downtown Dayton, restauranteurs are feeling the result of people not returning to in-person office work. Big employers have gone remote and have not been successful with bringing employees back into the office, Dimmick said.
“That drastically impacts the volume we can do during the week at happy hour,” Dimmick said. “If you’re a lunch spot or dinner restaurant, it’s much different during the week.”
At Sueño and Tender Mercy, they are seeing roughly about a third of the number of customers during the week compared to Friday and Saturday nights combined.
“It’s a challenge,” Dimmick said. “We’re still evolving as a result and as an industry.”
In addition, they understand there is a “very vibrant residential base” downtown, but “economically people are feeling the pressure,” Dimmick said.
Creating an approachable menu
In response, Sueño has introduced a “Cantina Menu” available 5 to 7 p.m. daily with items that are “a little more approachable, a little more fun and less refined in comparison to the rest of our menu.”
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
New items ranging from $8 to $12 include:
- Nueces Mixtas (roasted mixed nuts with fermented chile powder and fried garlic)
- Albondigas (grilled beef/pork meatballs with pistachio pipian verde and herbs)
- Esquites (charred sweet corn with serrano, pickled onion, chipotle aioli and queso fresco)
- Chile con Queso (queso blanco and charred poblano served with totopos)
- Dourados Ahogadas (beef barbacoa, salsa ahogada, crema and lettuce on heirloom tortillas)
The menu also includes $8 drink specials such as ranch water, a frozen margarita and a telenovela. The Cantina Menu is available only at the restaurant’s bar.
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
At Tender Mercy, they’ve added a condensed menu featuring a selection of signature cocktails, beers and wines that are 50 percent off from 5 to 7 p.m.
“We’re trying to take some of the perceived pretense out of what we’re doing at Sueño and Tender Mercy and specifically offer some fun things that are geared toward a demographic of folks that may come and see us once a month. We’re hoping to see them far more often,” Dimmick said.
Convenience is key
Another factor the owners are considering in this new normal, is the amount of time people are willing to spend eating out.
From a convenience standpoint, they’ve added online ordering with curbside pickup. Upon arrival, customers will text a phone number letting them know they’ve arrived, along with their name and vehicle description.
“We make it real easy. If you don’t have time to come in and spend a few hours, that’s OK. You can still get our awesome food and drinks to go,” Dimmick said.
Carryout service is something the owners had never planned on doing when they opened Sueño in July 2021, but as times change they now consider what food will travel well when developing new menu items.
For those that do want to dine in at the restaurant, the owners have added complimentary valet service everyday. Previously, it was only offered on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
“I certainly think some of these behaviors are here to stay when it comes to how often people are going out, how much time they want to spend out and really how expensive things are,” Dimmick said.
What’s most important to the owners
At the end of the day, the most important thing to Dimmick is that they drive enough volume to keep their staff and maintain their culture.
“If that means as a business we take a little bit of a haircut on the margins, that’s fine with me. We don’t have a business without our people,” Dimmick said.
When asked what keeps them going in a time of change, Dimmick said it’s the spirit of what they do in the hospitality industry.
“We just love taking care of people. There’s an art to it and it’s a craft. It’s to be respected and we kind of feel like we also need to protect it,” Dimmick said. “It’s worth not only preserving, but maintaining and building in every community.”
Focusing on curbside pickup and to go orders with Three Birds
As Dimmick and his team moves forward with the construction of Three Birds at 1025 Shroyer Road, near the Kettering and Oakwood borders, in the former space of Carmel’s Southwest Bar & Grill, they plan to focus on the curbside pickup and to go element of the restaurant.
They plan to have dedicated parking sports for curbside pickup/to go orders and to develop a menu that travels well. Dimmick said they are investing in to go boxes with good ventilation that will help preserve the integrity of the food.
An important aspect to offering curbside pickup/to go orders is focusing on the guest experience. From the time customers order food to the time it’s ready for pickup, the owners want to make sure that experience is seamless and as efficient as possible, Dimmick said.
Three Birds will feature New American cuisine with a variety of items on the menu such as smash burgers, rotisserie charbroiled chicken, corn dog shrimp and salads.
“Conceptionally from the start we’ve wanted to do something at Three Birds where we can still provide the same level of quality food that we are proud of, but at a price point that’s a little more approachable than the things we’re doing downtown,” Dimmick said.
Construction on the restaurant starts this week with an opening expected in early 2025.
How customers can support local restaurants
In the future, Dimmick sees a world where more restaurants will move to a lighter labor model in their service and some fine dining restaurants will evolve towards a fast casual service model.
“Now, I really believe there’s always going to be a place for full service and maybe that’s my romantic optimism of a hospitalitarian, but it’s going to continue to be very hard,” Dimmick said. “If folks appreciate what we do and what we add to their community in Dayton, I would highly suggest supporting us during the week. That’s where we really need the help.”
He said the restaurants in downtown Dayton are typically full on the weekends, but have empty seats throughout the week.
“For local foodies and folks curious about our art and our craft and the people that make it happen, weeknights are the best time to hangout with us,” Dimmick said.
During the week, his team has the extra time and attention to really go above and beyond at crafting a memorable experience and getting to know their guests on a deeper level.
MORE DETAILS
Sueño, known for its authentic Mexican cuisine, is located at 607 E. Third St. in Dayton. The restaurant has recently started selling its Sikil P’ak, a Mayan pumpkin seed dip, at Dorothy Lane Market’s Washington Square location at 6177 Far Hills Ave. in Washington Twp. The dip will be available at Dorothy Lane Market’s other two locations this month.
Tender Mercy is located directly below Sueño. Guests must use the subway stairs off of the sidewalk to enter the underground cocktail bar. Dōzo, an elevated sushi concept, is open in the back room of Tender Mercy on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. On Wednesdays, there’s a ramen concept called, “Send Noodz.”
Sueño, Tender Mercy and Three Birds are owned by The Idea Collective, a hospitality development company that’s in the process of rebranding to RoomService.
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