It is with a heavy heart that we have decided to temporarily suspend service at El Destilado and El Techo, effective Thursday, March 19. Although there are still only a handful of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Oaxaca, we recognize the severity of the situation and believe these are the appropriate steps to protect our community and our staff.
As many of you know, restaurants operate on a slim margin, especially in seasonal economies such as Oaxaca’s. Ours is no different, and the past few days we have been scratching our heads (and then promptly sanitizing our hands), trying to determine how to keep tortillas on the table for our team members. Up to this point, the Mexican government has made no announcement that there will be any industry bailout, and to be frank, it is highly unlikely there will be. To make matters worse, unemployment insurance does not exist in Mexico.
Our plan is to furlough all of our full-time employees (24 total) and pay them a full-time minimum wage salary for as long as possible (we expect this to last three months). Minimum wage is low in Mexico, but this will provide them a small cushion and, more importantly, allow them to maintain their health benefits. All employees (full-time and part-time) will also receive two weeks of base pay upon their final day of employment.
To do this is expensive; more expensive than we can honestly afford. That is why we are asking you, the diners who have supported us in the past, to support our team once more. 100% of the proceeds of this GoFundMe will be used to keep our staff paid and insured, and any excess funds attained through donation will be divided equally amongst all of our team members and dispensed on a weekly basis.
We wish everyone the best in these trying times, and we are already looking forward to seeing you upon our re-opening.
-Jason Paul Cox + Joseph Amadeo Gilbert
Owners, "El Destilado"
Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca MX
March 17, 2020
As many of you know, restaurants operate on a slim margin, especially in seasonal economies such as Oaxaca’s. Ours is no different, and the past few days we have been scratching our heads (and then promptly sanitizing our hands), trying to determine how to keep tortillas on the table for our team members. Up to this point, the Mexican government has made no announcement that there will be any industry bailout, and to be frank, it is highly unlikely there will be. To make matters worse, unemployment insurance does not exist in Mexico.
Our plan is to furlough all of our full-time employees (24 total) and pay them a full-time minimum wage salary for as long as possible (we expect this to last three months). Minimum wage is low in Mexico, but this will provide them a small cushion and, more importantly, allow them to maintain their health benefits. All employees (full-time and part-time) will also receive two weeks of base pay upon their final day of employment.
To do this is expensive; more expensive than we can honestly afford. That is why we are asking you, the diners who have supported us in the past, to support our team once more. 100% of the proceeds of this GoFundMe will be used to keep our staff paid and insured, and any excess funds attained through donation will be divided equally amongst all of our team members and dispensed on a weekly basis.
We wish everyone the best in these trying times, and we are already looking forward to seeing you upon our re-opening.
-Jason Paul Cox + Joseph Amadeo Gilbert
Owners, "El Destilado"
Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca MX
March 17, 2020