Doors in the Sidewalk

Tonight it struck me. I have not mentioned the doors in the sidewalk. The restaurant is above ground, but the kitchen and certainly the supplies are in the basement. And often as not, this basement is accessible only via these doors in the sidewalk. You walk over them daily. They look like mid-west hurricane cellar doors. You don’t really notice them except often there is a padlock over which you must step. But come the busy time for the restaurant, most often evening, the doors open. You can see a conveyer belt to transport supplies and stock. There are stairs which the lowest server on the totem pole has to climb many times with many loads. When you pay attention to the activity, it is rather like watching bees coming and leaving the hive. It makes sense there must be a place for storage. What takes one by surprise is that the access to the storage is in the sidewalk, not inside the establishment.