NYC Restaurants Consider a Ban of Their Own

The coronavirus restrictions on restaurants have sparked large demonstrations in New York City, and now a group of restaurant owners is considering a more targeted response. After a ban on indoor dining was reinstated, there's talk in the industry of implementing a ban on Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio dining at their establishments, Fox News reports. "I came up with this motto—if we can't feed our families, we certainly won't feed yours," said organizer Michael Quinn. He points out that banning indoor dining just pushes people to gather in homes and other places that don't have the safety measures in place that restaurants have. The state says 70% of coronavirus cases can be traced to households and small gatherings, while no more than 2% have been attributed to indoor dining at restaurants.

And speaking of those safety measures, "a case of gloves costs us almost $100 depending on which gloves you’re buying, and I'm going through five boxes a day just to make sure I'm incredibly careful," the owner of a pasta restaurant said. But he doesn't like the idea of turning any customers away, including de Blasio or Cuomo, though he notes "they don’t have the empathy that they need to have. Respectfully, they still get guaranteed their paychecks." The Washington Examiner quotes the feelings of one local bar owner: "He can eat at some sh---- roadside diner outside of Albany but he will not be served anywhere in New York City, known universally as the world's greatest dining destination!" (More restaurant industry stories.)