In the past year, Frosted Cupcakery has made numerous changes to store procedures such as partnering with delivery apps and limiting open hours. But as Long Beach moves forward with COVID-19 recovery, this business is enthusiastic to see a livelier Belmont Shore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frosted is a locally owned business on 2nd Street in Long Beach that specializes in the making and decorating of cupcakes. Five years ago, the company opened up a second store in Huntington Beach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stacia Samartan is the general manager and co-owner of Frosted. She claims that the pandemic has affected both stores, but in slightly varying manners. For one, the Huntington Beach location was forced to close twice while the 2nd Street store was able to remain open but with less hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople were quarantining and we had the Safer at Home orders in place. So we had to close earlier for a while just because people weren\u2019t out as much,\u201d said Samartan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, a big financial adjustment that the company has seen is in the online delivery apps. Before the pandemic, Frosted had only partnered with Postmates. Now, their cupcakes can also be found on UberEats, Grubhub, and DoorDash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen we have sales through those apps, they do take a percentage of our profit,\u201d said Samartan. \u201cBut now, we\u2019re able to reach more people who maybe haven\u2019t tried us yet or weren\u2019t comfortable with being outside, so that definitely helps us sustain our business and helps people be able to still enjoy our product.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Samartan recalls that last year she saw a lot of controversy centering around the ethics of using third-party delivery services. Many people urged others to refrain from ordering off of these apps because they take a significant portion of businesses\u2019 final profits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as a local store owner herself, Samartan views the situation in a different light. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat stuff is true but if that means you\u2019re not going to order at all, then I would much rather you just go ahead and order from the apps,\u201d said Samartan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
More recently, as of April 1, Long Beach has entered the Orange Tier when it comes to COVID-19 recovery. The most notable aspect of this transition is that limited indoor seating has become allowed in all restaurants, as long as capacity is regulated at a maximum of 50%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet, Frosted still remains closed to indoor dining. Samartan claims that because the dimensions of the Belmont Shore store are quite compact as it is, having only one or two tables opened out of four would be unrealistic for her employees to manage while also trying to keep everyone safe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nevertheless, the loosening of COVID-19 rules in Long Beach still had a beneficial impact on Frosted\u2019s business in terms of foot traffic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe street is busier again,\u201d said Samartan. \u201cThere was a time when even outdoor dining was restricted and that was really hard \u2026 So we find it\u2019s just really great that more people are coming around.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elijah Park is a customer who often frequented 2nd Street before the pandemic. Similar to Samartan, he is very excited to be able to return to a livelier Belmont Shore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll get what I can take really,\u201d said Park. \u201cI know that this still isn\u2019t normal but it\u2019s definitely something \u2026 And most people seem to be pretty good about wearing their masks so I don\u2019t see any problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite experiencing financial loss and being forced to quickly make drastic business transformations, Samartan is grateful that Frosted has continued to provide service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s really just been so many small businesses that haven\u2019t made it through the other side of all of this and it\u2019s sad,\u201d said Samartan. \u201cThis has been such an interesting and challenging situation but I also think there\u2019s so many benefits to reevaluating our business.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the reopening plan in Long Beach continues, local businesses like Frosted, as well as the community, have a lot to look forward to. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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