Dinner scraps
Restaurants still struggle as state expands rules
Bar service and bigger table sizes might help Massachusetts restaurants bring in a little more revenue, but some owners called the governor’s latest relaxation of coronavirus restrictions “crumbs” that won’t be enough to help save their establishments from bankruptcy.
“I wouldn’t even say he’s giving us crumbs because it’s only a part of the whole he took away from us in March,” said Jonathan Post, owner of The Porch Southern Fare & Juke Joint in Medford.
Post said restrictions placed on restaurants and other businesses are necessary but said he will reserve his “clapping and cheering” until state officials come up with substantive solutions to address myriad problems facing the industry.
“This … doesn’t really do anything to change much for any of us in the restaurant industry and that’s kind of been how it’s been all along,” he said.
Roughly 21% of Massachusetts’ 16,000 restaurants have closed permanently since the onset of the pandemic in March. Massachusetts Restaurant Association President Bob Luz told the Herald Wednesday that nearly half of those remaining won’t make it another six months unless revenues rebound.
Still, Luz called it a “step in the right direction” for an industry on track to lose $240 billion nationwide this year.
The updated regulations, which allow bar seating with at least 6 feet of space or plexiglass between parties, and increase table party sizes from six to 10, are similar to those already in place in other nearby states like Connecticut.
Baker was met with an outburst of applause from the small crowd gathered at Mill City BBQ and Brew in Lowell as he made the announcement on Wednesday morning.
“Bars are closed. Nightclubs are closed. But the evidence from other states with respect to this issue is clear — restaurants can use bar seating for regular food service with appropriate distance in place,” Baker said.
Mayor Martin Walsh said restaurants would be allowed to resume food and beverage service at the bar but said the six-person limit on table size would stay, noting Boston is “very close” to moving into the red — or highest risk — on the state’s coronavirus risk map.
The city’s stance left prominent North End restaurateur Frank DePasquale “speechless” on Wednesday afternoon when a Herald reporter informed him of the mayor’s decision.
“I don’t know what I think about it, but I understand it,” said DePasquale, who owns six North End restaurants including Bricco and Mare Oyster Bar.
Walsh’s decision also had Jonathan Mendez, who owns six restaurants around Boston and Cambridge, scratching his head and asking, “Why is six the magic number? Is COVID like a predatory animal lying in wait until he sees a party of 7, and then it pounces?”