‘The challenge right now is the unknown’: As delta variant spreads, some businesses delay employees’ return to office

For restaurant owner Angelo Giovannis, like many others, the pandemic has presented huge challenges over the last year-and-a-half.

He’s had to lay off 20 to 30 people and close, at least for now, his Naughty Greek restaurant in the Capella Tower skyway.

"I love the skyway, I love downtown. That was what attracted us there," Giovannis said. "But the challenge right now is the unknown. There’s still a little bit of the unknown that we are struggling with and mostly it’s the delta variant or the next variant or what will happen with the pandemic."

Now, with the spread of the delta variant, some companies are waiting longer to have employees return to the office.

According to the Minneapolis Downtown Council, about 80% of businesses are developing a "future of work" plan, which includes a hybrid approach where workers won’t have to come to the office every day.

The council also says 80% of restaurants and retail spaces are open downtown right now.

Giovannis says he’d planned to reopen his skyway location this week, but because of staffing issues and concern about the future, it didn’t happen.

It wasn’t the first time.

Giovannis says after closing for several months during the pandemic, he tried reopening last September and then two times during the summer, but there weren’t enough customers.

Now, hiring is a challenge.

"This is the question that I constantly get back is, ‘Well, what happens if we have to close again?’" Giovannis said. "What happens to my position? So there’s a lot of hesitancy."

Giovannis’ quandary — whether to move his business back downtown — is not unique.

The Downtown Council doesn’t have skyway-specific data but says, overall, office occupancy is at about 35%, compared to just 15% in April.

"It certainly isn’t necessarily a light switch, but we are seeing a continued increase in traffic," said Mark Remme, a Downtown Council spokesperson. "We know it’s going to be a process, kind of an ongoing approach to when people decide to go back to the office. If there’s going to be a hybrid approach to that downtown."

Los Angeles-based artist Amanda Harris-Gibbs, who’s preparing for the Minneapolis Downtown Art Fair, says she’s seeing more foot traffic on the streets than when she was here last year.

"Oh, it’s a lot more people. It’s great to see the interaction, talk to people," she said. "Definitely, it looks like things are opening up, like there’s an increase in shopping and people being able to eat at shops and eat at restaurants. Just to talk to people, it’s nice."

Right now, Giovannis says he’s focusing on his two St. Paul restaurants.

His plan? To keep his business, employees and customers safe.

"The companies that I know of, that I personally have relationships with, are all asking people to go back in and wait for the end of the year. So I’m not hearing December, I’m hearing January," Giovannis said.

"We’ve got to think safety. We got to keep thinking as a community and if we do that, it’ll be fine. That’s what I’m hoping for."