Fenicci's of Hershey is located at 102 W. Chocolate Ave. Chocolate Avenue in Hershey
Posted on 12/11/2020 4:39:57 PM PST by lightman
Governor Tom Wolf says to close, but at least four restaurants are saying “no.”
Taste of Sicily and Babe’s Grill House in Palmyra, along with Kuppy’s Diner in Middletown and Fenicci’s of Hershey have all publicly announced their intentions to remain open for indoor dining over the weekend.
The Wolf administration unveiled new coronavirus restrictions on Dec. 10. The restrictions go into effect on Dec. 12 and include the closure of indoor dining. But some restaurant owners objected to the shutdown order and the short notice.
Phil Guarno, owner of Fenicci’s of Hershey, said that because Governor Wolf’s office had initially denied reports of more intense restrictions, restaurants had gone out and stocked their refrigerators for the weekend.
“You said you weren’t closing, that it was all a rumor,” Guarno said in a Facebook Live. “So what did restaurants do? Restaurants went out and bought food for the weekend. We filled our refrigerators for the weekend because we believed in our corrupt government official. We believed in Tom Wolf.”
Later, he continued: “You can’t just close us down with 24 hours notice. It’s not going to happen. We’re not going to let all that food go to waste.”
He also cited concerns about his employees and having to lay them off just weeks before Christmas. That’s a concern that Daivd Deimler, owner of Babe’s Grill House, shared on his own Facebook Live.
“I cannot close my doors right now and lay off five or six employees two weeks before Christmas,” Deimler said. “I just can’t do it. If Governor Wolf can come up with some kind of package to take of my employees before Christmas I will shut my doors. But until then, we are staying open because my team needs money to pay for gifts and take care of their families.”
Guarno criticized Wolf for not working with the industry to brainstorm a solution that would help everyone, like going back down to 25 percent occupancy or, at least, giving restaurants a chance to deplete their inventory and let their staff go in time to collect unemployment.
He said that he will be following all other COVID-19 restrictions, keeping to 50 percent occupancy and having servers wear masks. Guarno said he believed in the virus and its dangers. He also had brought meals to the staff at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center over 35 days during April 2020, right as the pandemic was in the height of its first wave.
Pennsylvania state agencies, including the police, liquor control board, department of agriculture, department of health, department of state and department of labor and industry reiterated their commitment to enforce violations of the orders in a joint statement to PennLive. They said that they are able to enforce the COVID-19-related orders because of the Disease Prevention and Control Law of 1955 and the Administrative Code of 1929.
“The governor and Secretary of Health’s orders were issued pursuant to the authority granted to them under the law, and as such they have the force and effect of law,” the statement said. “This authority extends to all local enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania.”
Sanctions and other penalties will be issued against violators in a progressive way, with a warning to begin with, followed by more serious punishments such as fines and orders to close.
That enforcement is getting ready to amp up.
“Now, seven months into the pandemic, the commonwealth is reviewing its enforcement mechanisms and is prepared to take more strict enforcement actions on chronic violators because it is imperative that we save lives and protect the public by ensuring all necessary mitigation efforts are being followed,” the statement read.
If restaurants repeatedly violate the orders they may not be able to retain their license, which is required to operate, according to the statement.
Taste of Sicily is a repeat offender, and the owners there aren’t worried. So far they’ve been fined $10,000. They have yet to pay a cent of it and, in fact, won a court case in October over violating restrictions earlier in the year. On Aug. 25, they had been cited with violating the mitigation order, including a refusal to wear masks or practice social distancing. Magisterial district judge Carl Garver ruled it had been unconstitutionally cited and therefore was not guilty.
Taste of Sicily spokesperson, Mike Mangano, said that he anticipates a similar result when the restaurant returns to court over the $10,000 fines. Until then, he doesn’t care what restrictions are put into place.
“We already got $10,000 in fines,” he told PennLive. “We might as well rack up some more.”
Fenicci's of Hershey is located at 102 W. Chocolate Ave. Chocolate Avenue in Hershey
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Too bad they didn’t get this worked up over voter fraud.
I hope there are lines out the door!
Prayers for the owners and employees ......
This is all coming to a head very soon.
I will be searching out and frequenting any business which remains open.
SCREW WOLF AND THE TRANNY FREAK!
FACT: Pennsylvania had fewer hospitalizations and deaths before the shutdowns and mandatory masking orders.
Leftists and commies want to turn us into docile obedient puppets. A year ago I would say that is overstated hyperbole. Not today after seeing the Democratic governors and the election fraud in action.
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