COVID-19 sparks new Ottawa business to keep chefs, DJs employed

A new Ottawa business born out of the COVID-19 pandemic is finding ways to help people like DJs and chefs stay employed, as restaurants remain restrictedand large gatherings are postponed.

Andrew Carter, one of the creators behind Room Service, says his company provides a range of event services so customers can order anything from dinner and drinks on their stoop to a mini-wedding reception in their backyard.

"We wanted to give people options," Carter told CBC's Ottawa Morning hostRobyn Bresnahan last week.

"We kind of looked at it as a concierge service. Someone that would assist people with their events."

Carter, who has been a DJ in Ottawa for 20 years and previously owned a food truck, said he saw a number of friends and colleagues in the city struggle during the shutdown.

"They went from having a lot of things to do, to having zero things to do. So to be able to help them in the process as well, that was a must," he said.

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Room Service provides a portal for customers to hire DJs and event planners, order meals for delivery or curbside pickup, rent a pop-up bar and even get ideas for gifts, decorations and website design.

When COVID hit, Carter was working with Think Lunch, which in addition to running a number of retail locations provides corporate catering and cafeteria services to Ottawa offices. As business dried up for corporate catering, Carter co-founded Room Service, and was able to use the Think Lunch kitchen space on City Centre Drive to launch the project.

One of the main goals, Carter said, was to help out the chefs that weren't employed during the pandemic.

He reached out to somehe knew including Nick Berolo, previously at Sur-Lie, andRazmon Poisson, a former chef at Navarra and proposed a profit-sharing model. They accepted.

About six chefs have rotated through the kitchen so far, and the service proved popular with Ottawans longing for the restaurant experience at home.

"We're constantly looking for new chefs and for new relationships to form," he said. "We really tried to make it a model where we include everyone who's kind of affected."

While business has become a bit quieter since restaurants reopened, Carter said he sees the potential for Room Service to continue. If there is a second wave of the pandemic, he said, "We'd be more than prepared."