July is here and wouldn’t you know it…COVID-19 hasn’t gone anywhere. The 443 is now facing the quandary of how to safely reopen our doors during a global pandemic.
We caught a few breaks during the COVID-19 closure that have allowed us to hold off on trying to open. We received the EIDL Emergency Grant, which paid off our outstanding vendor bills, and a PPP loan which covered 5 months of our rent under the new guidelines. We have not used the remaining 60% (intended for payroll), given that we aren’t actually open yet and don’t have work for our employees. I personally received enhanced unemployment through the PUA program, which was an unexpected bonus. I used a chunk of those funds to furnish the patio at The 443 and pay reoccurring bills like insurance, National Grid, internet and our storage container. We picked up 20+ new VIP patrons and sold a nice amount of gift cards, which was amazing. We are luckier than a lot of small business owners, and I’m eternally grateful for the help we’ve received.
But, with the enhanced unemployment coming to an end this month and no sign of a new round of federal aid, we are now forced to make a plan to open our doors again. Our staff will not be able to live on the basic unemployment alone and mine will end as well, which puts us in a precarious situation. We did not get the bigger EIDL loan through the SBA, which would have allowed us to ride this out a while longer. So, we’re forging ahead, even though we aren’t 100% sure it’s the right thing to do right now.
I think there is some money to be made in the short term but is this really the right thing to do given what we know about this virus and what we’re seeing in other states?
For the last couple of weeks, my newsfeed has been filled with articles sounding the alarm about how risky it is to eat in restaurants and go to bars. In a lot of states bars and restaurants are closing again because of terrifying spikes in cases. We certainly don’t want to be part of the problem and we’re trying desperately to avoid reopening and then shutting down again.
Somehow, the hospitality industry is supposed to reopen “to help the economy” even as infectious disease experts are advising the public to avoid us at all costs.
So how exactly is this supposed to work? We can’t have it both ways.
The ideal solution would be to provide aid to restaurants and music venues so they can afford to keep their doors closed. We are all facing the impossible choice of A. Opening now and risking the health of our employees and customers in order to stay afloat or B. Keeping our doors closed to avoid contributing to the spread and risk going out of business completely.
It’s a no-win proposition.
On a national level, there are two organizations lobbying to secure meaningful aid for businesses like ours. NIVA, the National Independent Venue Association and IRC, the Independent Restaurant Coalition. If you haven’t already, please head over to their websites and see what you can do to help. It’s fast, easy and free.
On a local level, a group of downtown business owners organized by Wunderbar’s Tanner Effinger met with Mayor Ben Walsh on Friday afternoon to discuss the urgent need to close streets to vehicles and give restaurants additional outdoor seating. If a city the size of NYC can close streets off to give restaurants a fighting chance, Syracuse certainly can. This doesn’t affect The 443 because we have a decent-sized outdoor patio and our focus is on live music rather than dining, but we attended the meeting anyway to support the cause. Other suggestions include “parklets”, which are portable dividers that would allow restaurants to take over street parking spots for dining (there is a GoFundMe HERE) and help in promoting mask compliance, which is a huge issue for any business dealing with the public right now.
We have no way of knowing what if any assistance is coming down the pike, so we’re finalizing our reopening plans with as much caution and care as humanly possible.
Our COVID-19 precautions are updated regularly, you can find them HERE.
In the meantime, I’m piecing our decimated event calendar back together and we’re aiming for an August 1 reopen. Buckle up, and stay tuned for more details.
