I Haven’t Put My Phone Down in Over a Year
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The author, Vina Sananikone. She hasn’t put her phone down in a year, so message her and say hello @vinasana.
Clockwise, from top left. A sign at Cane DC, A note from Chef Erik Bruner-Yang on my paystub, “Thank you for all the positive vibes during this time." It meant a lot to me, The GM at ABC PONY meticulously cleans the coffee machines even though there are no guests, and a selfie I took the day we closed.
My life during a pandemic as a food industry social media director
Words and photos by Vina Sananikone | EdibleDC Fall Issue
I haven’t put my phone down in over a year, almost two years at this point. Sure, as someone in social media in the restaurant industry, I already had a bad habit of constantly checking my phone, but, as most of you can attest, the past 18-plus months have been on a whole other level.
As introduction, I am the art director for Erik Bruner-Yang’s Foreign National, a restaurant group that includes Maketto, ABC Pony, Yoko & Kota, Shopkeepers, Power of 10 Initiative and, at the time, Brothers And Sisters and Spoken English at the LINE Hotel. I am a member of the home office team and my myriad of roles include graphic design, photography and social media programming. And so I spend a great deal of time with my phone in my hand, monitoring all of our social media profiles.
“I was the person who answered allergy questions at 1 am, informing our customers about happenings, closings and weekly specials, all while maintaining a “we’re doing great” tone. A lot of people don’t realize that there is a living, breathing person on the other end of a restaurant’s Instagram account and that person is a stressed-out social media manager who really can’t tell you off the top of her head how much catering for 40 people will cost or if the dinner special can be made for three people and not four. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
I don’t really have to state this part, but at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, late February/early March 2020, restaurants around the city (and the world) were suddenly thrust into a place of uncertainty with an underlying glimmer of determined hope. Restaurants were being shut down, our staff being furloughed or let go with the quiet swiftness of a snap by Thanos, and we had to figure out what the hell we were going to do next.
During one of the initial pandemic meetings, we decided that we had to post at least six times a day—A DAY—on our social media to stay relevant in the public eye. Standard practice is once a day or two to four times a week, depending on content. The initial jump to six daily Instagram posts made me feel like I was spamming our guests, constantly throwing our wares in their faces and phones: “Look at our pasta! By the way, we have coffee! Do you like dinner specials? We have those too!!” It worked. People were stuck indoors and, like me, were glued to their phones.
Algorithms and best times to post went out the window. It was a complete free-for-all. Our servers used to talk to guests and word of mouth and foot traffic is incredibly important in our world. Suddenly those flew out the window and social media was imperative to getting the word out to guests. I was the person who answered allergy questions at 1 am, informing our customers about happenings, closings and weekly specials, all while maintaining a “we’re doing great” tone. A lot of people don’t realize that there is a living, breathing person on the other end of a restaurant’s Instagram account and that person is a stressed-out social media manager who really can’t tell you off the top of her head how much catering for 40 people will cost or if the dinner special can be made for three people and not four.
Fast forward a few months. OK, a year. OK, more than a year. Restaurants have pivoted, social distanced, and we’re on a constant roller coaster of specials, restaurant closings and openings, surviving and hoping for thriving, not to mention the fresh hell of the political and social climate, all the while trying to stay healthy, both physically and mentally.
It’s real and I don’t have to tell you because we’re all going through it. At some point I learned that I have elevated blood pressure and high cholesterol, obviously from stress, great but unhealthy food, and either long hours sitting at a computer or standing too long on my feet. I started taking sunrise walks through my local park, the morning solitude doing wonders for my peace of mind and the exercise lowering my blood pressure and improving my physical health. I bought a bicycle, same reason. Turns out I love biking, though I’m not great at it.
After driving the same car for 17 years, I bought a new one and spent six wonderful months before it was totaled in September. I’m currently on the hunt for a new car and an apartment closer to the city to lessen my long commute. I still look at my phone probably too often. I’m getting better at that too: I put it away during dinners, when I want to focus on my dinner companion; or on bike rides and walks and outings, when I want to live in the moment and all that.
I still work too much, long and odd hours, but a lot of you do too and I suspect you love it as much as I do. The determined hope is still there. I see it every day on my colleagues’ social media and in my own restaurants. One of the things I’ve loved to see develop is how our industry banded together so quickly to give back to the community. Restaurants are giving back, in a huge way, and multiple charities and initiatives have been born. A beautiful thing in my eyes, and it’s only natural that the hospitality industry would want to serve people in any way we can.
I could go on for far longer. I won’t, because my story is the same story as many of my colleagues and again, I know you know. Here is to the creatives, back of house, front of house, and the countless people who are wearing thin but have kept going for the past year. I see you and I admire you. Take care of yourselves, have a good service, and please put down your phone once in a while. <3
Art Director and Social Media Director for Foreign National, Vina Sananikone is a digital creator, writer and photographer in Washington, DC. Follow her @vinasana on Instagram.
