San Ramon Businesses Struggle Amid Hazardous Air Quality

SAN RAMON, CA — For weeks, the fires that had scorched more than 3.9 million acres in California as of Thursday have left the Bay Area covered in smoke and ash. Throughout this, the COVID-19 pandemic has not slowed down, leaving businesses who rely on outdoor accessibility trapped inside.

According to Vince Dipietro, general manager of restaurant Firehouse No. 37, business for the local restaurant was significantly lower due to the smoke, dropping about 50 percent from the previous week.

The restaurant was forced to close one day last month when the air quality became too poor for them to continue with outdoor dining, since the coronavirus pandemic had already eliminated the possibility of inside seating.

On this day, the sky of San Ramon shone orange, with cars and tables covered in ash.

“It’s hard enough to have to go outside, but with the smoke [customers’] activity is even more limited,” Dipietro said.

The drop-off in business came amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has been affecting businesses since Spring. Eleven percent of Californians were unemployed as of August, the most recent month for which data is available, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Adding this economic downturn to the smoke that kept customers away left local businesses begging for the skies to clear. Though some did not have to completely close, employees have said that people were still unable to enjoy the takeout options offered.

Poor air quality on top of the requirement to wear masks for protection against COVID-19 have left many people, workers and customers alike, with breathing difficulties.

“I [had] breathing issues, especially because I have to walk [to and from work],” said Iram Ali, a cake decorator for ice cream shop Cold Stone Creamery.

As the poor air quality came to a peak, ashes fell from the sky. This only made customer turnout at many businesses worse.

“Ashes [were] everywhere,” said Danielle Tho, Bagel Street Cafe manager. “People didn’t come out that much, [it was] really slow.”

Though businesses like this have not been offering outdoor dining since the beginning of the pandemic, all shops have still suffered from the smoke that settled in the East Bay.

Luckily, as the air quality has been improving, so have sales, said Ali and Tho. People are once again coming out of their houses and are able to breathe the much cleaner air.

“Now it’s better,” said Ali, after the skies of San Ramon began to slowly fade back to normal. “Our work is not affected at all.”