Posted on 09/21/2020 6:09:02 PM PDT by foreverfree
SALISBURY, Md. – The impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on restaurants here on the Eastern Shore has been like no other.
“We’re about 50% down for the year, we’re also at 50% less employees than we had when we closed in March,” said Market Street Inn owner, Rob Mulford.
And with Governor Larry Hogan’s recent announcement that restaurants in the state can up their indoor capacity from 50 to 75%, you’d think business owners would be excited. But when they learned of the change, this was more of their reaction:
“75% capacity means absolutely zero,” said Mulford.
Restaurants come and go on the Shore if they’re trendy. The established local ones should be OK. Still sorry Mason’s sold in Easton to some Western Shore goof.
Our RINO gov may not be as crazy as yours, but he’s crazy enough. Don’t hate on all of us because of Baltimoron City!
There are times when they do (usually Friday or Saturday nights), and those few times are absolutely critical to keeping the doors open the rest of the time. Competition is incredibly tough in this business, and restaurants simply cannot make it at 75% capacity. The business model for the industry just doesn’t allow for it.
I have no qualms about eating out. I despise the useless mask garbage.
I wear one to be seated if I have to. No more including when I leave or go to the bathroom.
It’s just sick what these loser governors have done to our nation, including the Traitor Hogan.
Small business owners supported PT in a big way...
Just doing some simple math, back of the envelope calc, so bear with me.
1. Restaurants tend to have small profit margins. I’ve often heard they are in the range of 3 to 5%.
2. If restaurants can only fill to 50% of capacity, they are taking a 50% cut in gross revenue.
3. Compare that 50% reduction in gross revenue to a 5% profit margin.
4. While some costs of doing business, such as food and labor costs, will be reduced if operating at only 50% capacity, the restaurants cannot reduce their expenses by enough to offset such a huge reduction in gross revenue.
These are back of the envelope calculations; I know there are some variables we need to look at to get the true picture.
But the point is, to slice the sales of a business by 50% is going to severely hurt, financially.
Gross and passes more germs...
To me it seems all the cooties are already in place and doing everything you are afraid of, mask or no mask.
Another glimmer of light. I'm a monthly customer of Red Lobster's "Endless Shrimp Monday" at a franchise in St. George, Utah.
Noticed a slow return to normalcy. At first all the center tables were removed, and every other booth had a sign to the "social distancing for you safety" b/s. Two months later, all the tables were back. Today many booths were were filled, ignoring the every-other-booth-empty routine.
Servers still had to wear masks and complained of headaches. Hopefully, after the election, things will get completely back to normal and we won't hear any more of this "New Normal" B/s. Am surprised Utah still has this requirement.
We are at 25% in NJ - absolutely awful!
I’ve gone out to eat three times this month, it seems that food and service quality have gone down since this covid stuff started.
Linguini, garlic olive oil, and salmon/shrimp. A choice of spices is quite adventurous.
Uncertainty, depression, lack of funds...
I think people are finding they can’t afford as much restaurant food nowadays anyway. Food delivery services are doing a booming business here in northeastern NJ, but I don’t know many people with families that are buying - seems to be more childless working young adults. Our grocery prices seem stuck at the high prices from the spring shortages.
Even worse here in NJ are the requests by the Dem politicians to give stimulus to illegals; many are the people idled when these restaurants closed then reopened with minimal seating.
As it gets colder, sit-down places that haven’t already closed will do so. Other places are doing OK with delivery services. The real issue for every business is how long customers will have money.
Yes, what *will* happen to joints that have been restricted to all fresco all these months as in NYC?
We’ve just had a cold spell here, but restaurants were at least able to seat some people inside; the tents/canopies outside were empty. The governor relaxed the indoor dining just a bit because teachers were using that ban as a reason to avoid returning to the classrooms (most didn’t go back, anyway).
That is putting an interesting twist on this whole thing; I’ve said for years that much public education was simply daycare (and in NJ, many clients aren’t Americans - or legal residents) - and now the parents aren’t even getting the daycare aspect of it.
Or even 25%.
You cannot cut the rent/mortgage, insurance costs, many utilities or - especially - advertising. When you can only fill 1/2 or 3/4 of your seats, if you have ANY chance to even survive, you’ve got to compete for those limited customers (against other restaurants that are just as desperate as you).
Oh, and extra employee time for the Covid-mandated cleaning, plus extra expense for plastic shields, etc.
Amen to that! I tried my hand at brisket last week, with excellent results. We have a Traeger grill, I swear by it. My wife is doing more cooking now that she's retired, too. The dog really loves this turn of events...lol.
We've also rediscovered an alternative to professional sports. We all attended my grandson's baseball game last Saturday, gave me the chance to hold my 3 month old granddaughter for an extended period.
Afterwards, I paid for dinner at a local BBQ, the bill for the seven of us was less than $130. Much cheaper than going to see the Rangers, Cowboys, Mavericks, etc. and far more enjoyable.
The answer but it's not going to happen.
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