🔒Q&A: Reopening Armsby Abbey

In June, Sherri Sadowski and Alec Lopez, the spouses behind Armsby Abbey on Main Street in Worcester, shut down the popular eatery in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. On March 15, they announced Armsby would reopen sometime in April, much to the joy of mac & cheese lovers on social media.

Why reopen in April? 

Sadowski: When we shut down last June, and we thought it would be for three months. We were shooting to reopen on Labor Day, and that ended up not feeling right. Then we were thinking November, but then the pandemic was getting worse. After that, we thought it would be best to wait it out, for when consumer confidence would return.

We knew in February we would shoot for March 15, because that was the last time we had customers in the restaurants. We weren’t quite there yet, but now it is time. The pandemic is heading in the right direction. Vaccines are available, and consumer confidence is up.

Lopez: The vaccines are a big part of it. We needed the confidence levels of our employee team to be the same as ours. We knew with restaurant employees being eligible to get the vaccine now, we and they would have the confidence to return.

S: The staff that stuck around, we are grateful.

How many staff members are returning?

L: Full management team is intact. The kitchen staff is intact.

S: The front of the house is where we had some turnover, but we aren’t going to be able to open at full capacity anyway.

Everybody has been on unemployment, including the extended unemployment. They were all hopeful that Armsby could reopen. Some of them did start part time jobs here and there, but they didn’t settle anywhere else in the last 10 months.

How do you create that employee loyalty?

L: A lot of it comes from Armsby is really a personal expression for Sherri and I. We’ve been there every day working, and the team has always been valued. The management team is involved in all decisions. We are always good at communicating.

We take a lot of time when we hire, so we bring in people that like to be there. We create an atmosphere where everyone holds each other up high.

S: We walk the walk. We lead by example, and we are honest with our staff. In the last year, they were grateful we kept communication open and gave them the respect they deserve.

Did you ever consider not reopening?

S: For us, it was very calculated. Last spring we ran numbers for the next 6-12 months, and we knew the shutdown was going to have to happen for the summer. We wanted to make it to July 1, and we made it to June 21.

The amount of work that has gone into the backside of things to keep Armsby going to April was enormous. Even though the restaurant was closed, there were days I spent all day in my office, dealing with things like unemployment, utilities, insurance. There are so many logistical things on the backside, and there were many weeks I would be in the office 50 hours per week.

L: It is a lot of work putting a restaurant to sleep.

What will be different when you reopen?

L: It is going to be prettier. We renovated Armsby. All the woodwork, floor, paint, it has never looked better. That beautiful bar has been refinished; my brother did an amazing job with that.

Armsby has always been a very busy place. We did do a renovation in 2013, but with us being shut down, we were able to do the things we always wanted to do. In addition to the decor, I redid the draft lines, we have new cocktail stations, and we have new equipment in the kitchen.

S: We always wanted to do those little things in the kitchen, but we could never figure out a good time to shut down, because we were always so busy. As awful as the last year has been, we were able to add those things to give us some extra efficiency in the kitchen and in the front of the house.

What’s the reaction been to the reopening announcement?

L: That is the highest engagement post we’ve ever had. It was impressive, although it was petrifying. The amount of direct messaging and engagement shows us there is a lot of pent-up demand. I wouldn’t be surprised if we sold out reservations for the first few weeks.

S: In the first few months after we shut down, the Armsby phone had 7,100 missed calls. We had to shut down the system and replace it with a message about the restaurant being closed.

L: It is amazing how much people love that little place. Armsby is dear to so many people, and we are focused on that aspect of it. Those feelings people have toward the food and the drinks will be very present in our opening.

S: People are asking what the menu will be like, and that will be determined, too. There will be customer favorites and some new items. It is a spring-forward menu, and it will have that spring in New England feel.

Will you offer the mac & cheese?

S: Of course.

L: We would be lynched if we didn’t.

This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by Brad Kane, WBJ editor.