The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Eateries look to survive coronavirus
Area eateries are ramping up take-out services in hopes of riding out Ohio’s ban on social gatherings at bars and restaurants.
Proprietors especially are looking for support in downtown Lorain, where new restaurants still are getting established as health officials urge the public to do what they can to stop the spread of novel coronavirus.
On March 15, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the Ohio Department of Health ordered all bars and restaurants shut down at 9 p.m. effective that date.
The hope was to avoid crowds in close quarters March 17, the St. Patrick’s Day holiday.
“This would make ‘social distancing’ impossible in many circumstances,” DeWine’s announcement said. “This is known by health care providers to be among the most effective ways to slow the spread of the disease, due to the high rate and speed of transmission in COVID-19.”
But local proprietors also are wondering how they will pay their staff and bills.
With media reports about COVID-19, people may be scared of cross-contamination if they eat out, said Mary Fields, owner of Brew and Stew, 630 Broadway, and Broadway Mary’s, 939 Broadway, both in downtown Lorain.
But when they buy food to make at home, they get items from a grocery store where hundreds or even thousands of people may have been, Fields said.
Restaurants may be more sanitary because fewer people are handling the food, she said.
“If I wasn’t feeling 100 percent, I wouldn’t even open the doors,” Fields said. “I want to protect everyone.”
Brew and Stew is working on a takeout menu, such as dinner for four with sandwiches, soup and desserts.
Fields said she also wants to maintain positivity and cooperation.
On March 17, she was lending out her panini grill for another Lorain-area food merchant to make sandwiches.
She and worker Madi Torres supplied a latte for Dr. Sam Salas, who maintains his office on Cooper Foster Park Road in Lorain.
“They have the best lattes around,” Salas said.
He also recommended people take vitamin C, bee pollen and greens in smoothies to maintain their immune systems.
Small merchants
State lawmakers have larger concerns dealing with health issues, but it would be nice if someone in Columbus would think about small merchants, said
Kurt Hernon, co-owner of Speak of the Devil neighborhood bar, 210 W. Fifth St.
Hernon also is a leader developing Main Street Lorain.
Speak of the Devil staff have committed to riding out the COVID-19 scare with Hernon and his wife and co-owner, Page.
But he emphasized time is not on the side of small businesses when they are closed.
“There is a point of no return where they’ll drop like flies,” Hernon said. “It’s that kind of business, nobody sits on a mountain of cash unless you’re a large corporation.”
The Hernons may sell some of their limited staff-only T-shirts as a fundraiser for staff.
Drew Frankel also has started an online campaign to help the workers with the online gofundme.com website — a move that brought tears to the owners’ eyes, Kurt Hernon said.
On March 16, Lorain Growth Corp. President Jim Long began emailing his contacts with a call to action.
With more than 150 people working in or near downtown, it is possible for everyone to help by buying lunch or dinner twice a week, Long said.
“This is your city, fight for the progress we have made downtown,” he said.
“Don’t let our businesses fail because we didn’t support them.
“I would love to see lines out their doors waiting for carryout orders.”
Businesses closing on Broadway would be bad for those involved, Long said.
The COVID-19 issue is a unique circumstance, but multiple losses could signal to future investors that Lorain is not a good location, he said.
For the last five years, Lorain city officials and residents have witnessed the rejuvenation of downtown, especially with the Broadway streetscape project that brought new sidewalks, lights, signage and traffic flow, Long said.
“I don’t want to see it go down the tubes because if a lot of businesses close, a new streetscape will be useless,” he said. “It will be pretty but not functional.”