Mediterranean Delite

Mediterranean Delite is a Middle Eastern restaurant located on El Camino Real in San Carlos. The restaurant is run by Jamal Zumot, who has been in the restaurant business for around 35 years and has opened several restaurants that have served a variety of cuisines like Mexican, American, Middle Eastern, and bakery goods. 

While Mediterranean Delite has managed to survive, it does not come without struggles. One of the main hurdles this manager has struggled to get past is getting more employees and serving more orders.

“The employees and I have to work more hours to serve the orders to the customers, and we are very short-staffed,” Zumot said. 

The pandemic caused a host of problems as well; along with employment problems in the restaurant business, supplies became difficult to procure due to backups and inflated prices stemming from COVID-19. 

“It was tough to get supplies overseas because of COVID-19,” Zumot said. “It was not that hard to get supplies before COVID-19, and supplies were cheaper.”

Supply has a significant impact on a restaurant since it can affect its profits. Perishable supplies are some of the most difficult to maintain since they must be used fresh. 

Additionally, a lack of in-person customers due to shutdowns caused a decrease in business, resulting in a significant loss in revenue for many food establishments.

While delivery apps like Doordash have helped to make up some revenue and increased brand awareness, restaurants still took a large hit financially.

Zumot has seen these effects firsthand, as many of his friends in the business have been closed down due to the large financial hit from the pandemic.

“My friends around me have to shut down their business due to COVID-19,” Zumot said, “COVID-19 has made it very hard for restaurant businesses to thrive since you need customers coming in to buy food.”