Four major restaurant and hospitality coalitions are pushing back against Governor Charlie Baker’s new COVID-19 order requiring recreation and entertainment businesses in the state to close by 9:30 each night.
A letter sent Thursday morning to Baker and other state officials argued that the order, which is set to go into effect on Friday, would result in catastrophic consequences for restaurants that are already suffering devastating losses during the pandemic. Closing at 9:30 would only make their situation worse and lead to significant staff furloughs and the permanent shuttering of many of these small businesses, the letter said.
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“Our industry is hanging on by a thread,” said Bob Luz, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. “Our restaurants are devastated, and they’re facing potential extinction.”
Luz spearheaded the petition, and representatives from Massachusetts Restaurants United, Boston Black Hospitality Coalition, and Boston Restaurant Coalition signed on as well. Collectively, the four groups represent more than 1,800 members.
The letter notes that contact-tracing data has found that less than 1 percent of new COVID-19 cases were traced back to indoor dining. “No industry takes the safety of their guests more seriously than the restaurant industry,” Luz said. “We’ve always worked with the FDA, the board of health, and had incredibly high sanitation standards that have just been enhanced due to this. . . . We are not the problem.”
Many restaurant owners anticipate that up to 50 percent of their employees, many of them immigrants and others who are financially vulnerable, could face furloughs. While the federal government implemented the Paycheck Protection Program and extended loans in an attempt to keep small businesses afloat, Luz said the eight-week spending period in April was not enough to sustain the industry through the months of the pandemic that followed. Pointing to the “Restore RI” grant established by the Rhode Island Department of Commerce to aid small businesses, the letter says that relief from the state could benefit workers and business owners.
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The letter also states that because Baker’s order contains vague wording, restaurateurs were unclear on whether all guests must vacate the premises by 9:30 p.m. or if no new guests may be seated after 9:30 p.m.
“If I’m going to go into a package store to buy a bottle of wine, I can go in at 9:29 and be out by 9:30,” Luz said. “At a restaurant, to be out by 9:30 means I can’t sit anyone past 8. . . . When somebody walks into a restaurant, they’re trying to get away from everything else and enjoy themselves, not rush home because there’s a stay-at-home order.”
After receiving the letter, the governor’s office clarified that no new guests may be seated after 9:30, and takeout could continue after indoor dining had ended, one stipulation being the sale of alcohol must be halted at 9:30 p.m. for in-person guests and takeout orders. That means restaurants can continue serving those already inside, but that most people would be on their way home in time for 10 p.m.
The letter also requested at least an hour extension on the closing times on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, allowing for three more operational hours per week on peak business days. The coalition has yet to hear back from the governor’s office on this request.
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“Even with just those three hours, I can’t tell you the difference it’s going to make to get restaurants from Nov. 1 to April 1,” Luz said. “Let’s get through the winter so we can reopen, get outside again, and live to fight another day.”
Grace Griffin can be reached at grace.griffin@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @GraceMGriffin.
Grace Griffin can be reached at grace.griffin@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @GraceMGriffin.