Life Upended. The coronavirus outbreak has had a devastating impact on our nation, and it has touched Staten Islanders in countless ways. In this series, reporter Tracey Porpora will share the stories of those who have been thrust into situations that were unimaginable just a few months ago -- those who have seen their life completely upended. This is the twenty-sixth story of “Life Upended.”
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Adam Lener, 46, who has owned Portobello Cafe in Great Kills for 25 years, said he suffered an 80% drop in business in 2019 due to construction work on Hylan Boulevard in front of his restaurant.
“Everything was great until April 2019. From April to December 2019 this construction project on Hylan Boulevard almost put me out of business,” said the Tottenville resident. “People were changing their traffic patterns to get home and avoiding the whole area. ...The area was so messed up, people weren’t dining here.”
Once the project was finished, he said he was hoping to increase his revenue stream at his Italian restaurant. During this time, the beginning of 2020, things appeared to be on the upswing.
That’s until the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shuttered the globe.
“By February we saw a little bit of a light, and that’s usually the dead season. ..But then in March we got shut down,” recalled Lener.
As someone who always “sees the glass half full,” Lener said he immediately created a new variety of pizzas in an effort to stay afloat in March when he was first forced to close except for pick-up and delivery orders. In later phases of reopening, he added outdoor, and then indoor, dining. But business was still slow, he said.
“It was quiet over the summer with just outdoor dining. And when we were allowed to open for indoor dining [in September] we were only given 32 seats,” said Lener.
‘I’M BROKE’
But the “real blow,” came late last month when Great Kills was declared an orange zone, and he once again had to shutter all on-premise dining.
“I’m broke; I spent my entire life savings trying to stay open. I just want to hold onto my restaurant,” he said.
He received some money from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), but it wasn’t enough to cover his expenses.
“They looked at my revenue from 2019, so I got almost nothing because sales were bad due to the construction in front of my restaurant,” said Lener.
FURLOUGHING STAFF
Meanwhile, Lener, who described himself as a “family man,” said he “feels terrible” he had to furlough half of his staff.
“During 2019, I carried the business and my employees. I felt it was up to me to bring the business in,” he said.
“I was always taught that you have to pay it forward. ...If you have the ability to earn another dollar, then you have to give someone in need that dollar. ...God gave me the blessing of having a good brain. I may be down, but I’m not out,” Lener said.
He also lost one of his chefs to the virus. “He got COVID and passed away in only nine days,” said Lener, noting his biggest concern is for the safety and health of his employees and future patrons.
BATTLING HEALTH ISSUES
In addition to his financial struggles, Lener underwent back surgery in October 2019.
“I fell on ice, and hurt my back, which gave me neuropathy in my hands,” he said. “After back surgery I now have neuropathy in both my legs and feet. And I wound up contracting gangrene and flesh-eating bacteria. I spent two months in the hospital trying to get that under control, then I got out and the pandemic happened.”
He said he can barely walk, uses a cane and can’t stand for more than 10 minutes.
A NEW CONCEPT
After being shuttered again, Lener said is expanding his menu.
He formerly owned a Mexican restaurant, so he’s introducing some dishes at Portobello Cafe that will appeal to Latin food lovers. He said he’s hoping more menu options will help keep up a steady stream of pick-up and delivery orders, which can be placed directly through the Portobello Cafe website, as well delivery services, such as UberEats, Grubhub, etc.
“I’m an owner who has tried to think outside the box. I’ve been told every problem has a solution. I added a full line of pizza into the restaurant [during the pandemic]. I used to own the Crazy Taco [in Port Richmond], so I’m getting ready to roll out the concept from Crazy Taco at Portobello for takeout and delivery,” he said.
“Im exhausting everything I possibly can; I’m even trying to ship food. I have people who have moved away from Staten Island, to places like Florida, where the [coronavirus] numbers are high. They don’t want to go out, so they ask me to ship them food,” added Lener.
And, if he gets “completely shut down,” Lener said he is planning to launch “Portabello Market.”
“I’ve already made arrangements with another delivery service to do Island-wide selling of raw meats and produce, cheaper than the supermarket. It will give me a chance to rotate the inventory, flip it and, hopefully, make a few dollars on it. Any dollar is better than no dollars,” said Lener.
GOFUNDME
While Lener said he’s never been a person to accept donations, he is desperate. For this reason, he launched a GoFundMe campaign with the goal of raising $250,000 to save his restaurant. So far, $14,145 was pledged at the time this story was written.
“I don’t usually ask for help. I’m usually the one who steps up to give the help,” said Lener. “It’s a pride thing, but I’m sort of backed into a corner. I don’t know what else to do. ...I’m just trying to keep my head above water.”
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