Hey all, Miami Food Pug here for our latest Friday takeover with The New Tropic.
It’s no secret Miami restaurants are facing an uncertain future. Since the county imposed a new round of dining restrictions a few weeks back, the local food scene has seen some notable closures. But it’s not just South Florida feeling the crunch: A recent Yelp report showed more than half of the restaurant closures that have taken place across the country since March 1 are said to be permanent.
It’s grim news, and it’s made even more depressing amid the increase in COVID-19 cases cropping up all over the U.S. As you’d expect, restaurant operators have been forced to get creative in order to make ends meet.
One way they’re doing that is through collaborations. For example, downtown gem Fooq’s has handed over their keys to the husband and wife duo behind the Laotian pop-up Lil’ Laos; guests can stop by to snag delicious Southeast Asian cuisine for takeout and delivery until September. Over in Coral Gables, established coffee shop House of Per’La has joined forces with new upstart Whatsoup to carry the latter’s tasty lineup of, well, soups.
More dramatic changes can be seen at places like Mignonette and NIU Kitchen, where owners have completely revamped their concepts. Mignonette has shed its identity as a seafood spot and transformed into Red Sauce, an ode to Italian American classics. NIU Kitchen — known for its bold Spanish cuisine — is now Medium, a shop specializing in natural wines.
These are just a few of the changes the scene has undergone recently, and we expect to see more as the pandemic continues. We’re just glad to see restaurants and other business owners figuring out ways to keep the lights on. We’re a resilient bunch, and we will get through this.
