Dave & Busters Could Lay Off 400 On Long Island

LONG ISLAND — Long Island's three Dave & Busters locations filed notices with the state that they will be laying off more than 400 workers because of the coronavirus shutdowns. But those employees could be rehired in the future.

In documents filed with the state Department of Labor, Dave & Busters said that the temporary layoffs of 421 people at its three Long Island sites would become permanent on Dec. 8. The dining and entertainment company has locations in Massapequa, Westbury and Islandia.

Dave & Busters spokeswoman Shelby Lopaty Robinson told Newsday that the company plans on rehiring its New York employees when it can, but it was legally obligated to file the notices with the state. She also added that the company does not have plans right now to permanently close the locations.

"As the notices made clear, the company currently does not plan to permanently close the locations, and we will do our best to rehire as many affected team members as we can just as soon as state and local governments allow arcades to reopen," she told Newsday.

Arcades are among the businesses in New York that have still not been allowed to reopen, along with movie theaters and other entertainment venues. There's no plan yet from the state on when they could be allowed to do so.