BP Adams, Elected Leaders Join Restaurant Owners To Demand Clear Timelines For Higher Capacity Limits, Extended Hours

Press release from the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President:

February 11 2021

Brooklyn, NY – Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams joined City Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo, Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, and Council Member Robert Cornegy, along with restaurant owners, workers, and industry representatives outside Balboa Restaurant in Crown Heights to demand New York State set out a clear timeline to allow indoor dining to re-open at 50 percent capacity, and extend their hours to midnight, as soon as possible. Borough President Adams called for expanding indoor dining capacity immediately to 33 percent, with a clear timeline to scale up to 50 percent based on public health metrics. He also emphasized the need to balance re-opening with strong safety measures, such as maintaining social distancing protocols and requiring double-masking for staff and patrons.

The call comes as restaurants prepare to re-open for indoor dining at 25 percent capacity, with a curfew of 10:00 PM, tomorrow, February 12th. Borough President Adams and others at the rally denounced the City and State’s inadequate response to their industry’s severe economic struggles and urged greater relief measures to keep food service establishments afloat during and after the pandemic. Many restaurant owners have said they are on the verge of permanently closing their establishments unless they receive greater relief soon.

“Our restaurant community is suffering. Many have been forced to close their doors and lay off workers. Some have taken on crippling debt just to keep their lights on. Outdoor dining isn’t a viable option in frigid weather, and delivery and pickup don’t provide the necessary profit margins to stay afloat. Owners have been clear that the one thing that will help them get back on their feet, absent significant government aid, is the rapid re-opening of indoor dining. We know we can do this in a safe manner, observing all public health protocols. That’s why I am calling on the State to immediately lay out a timeline for scaling up capacity for indoor dining — these establishments are already hanging by a thread, and they cannot afford to wait any longer,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

“Since the start of the COVID19 pandemic, I have been calling for financial support for our small businesses from the State and the Federal government. Many of the businesses that have suffered the most from this pandemic are from low-income, immigrant, underserved communities. These struggling small businesses continue to sink deeper in debt, borrowing money that they will not be able to pay back,” said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez. “If the State and the Federal governments are not willing to send the financial support needed for these businesses to survive, then we must at least help them be able to reopen at limited indoor service safely. By giving them guidance, personal protective equipment (PPE), and continuing to expand vaccination efforts, we can reopen our small businesses safely. I’m proud to stand alongside Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams today demanding that the governor look into the possibility of allowing small businesses to reopen at 50 percent capacity with all proper safety measures in place.”

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, our restaurant industry has lost at least 140,000 jobs. Although it is a joyous day to see our restaurants re-open for indoor dining ahead of a major restaurant holiday, it is imperative that our owners and employees are provided with a clear-cut plan of action laid out by the State. I stand in solidarity with restaurant owners and workers in calling for a definitive timeline on an increase to 50 percent capacity and extended hours. We must do everything we can to save our restaurants,” said Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo.

“Thank you to Borough President Adams and Council Members Cumbo, Cornegy, and Rodriguez for speaking up on behalf of the beleaguered restaurants of New York City. After the enormous toll that COVID-19 has taken on our businesses, we need support, relief, and a much clearer sense of what reopening will look like moving forward. At a minimum, we are calling on Governor Cuomo to put forward a set of metrics for getting New York City restaurants to 50 percent indoor capacity, and to loosen the curfew across the state to midnight, in alignment with the previous indoor dining rules in New York City. We are grateful to our elected officials for elevating these critical and timely issues,” said New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA) President and CEO Melissa Fleischut.

“Resuming indoor dining at 25 percent capacity this Friday is simply not enough to help an industry on the brink of collapse. The unfortunate reality we are facing is that allowing restaurants to only operate on 25 percent capacity and have them make it through the winter season is a fallacy. It doesn’t provide enough income for the employees nor does it provide enough revue for the businesses to afford their bills,” said New York State Latino Restaurant and Bar Association (NYSLRBA) President Jeffrey Garcia. “The only plan that is acceptable and equitable is to allow New York City restaurants to begin operating at 50 percent just like the rest of the counties throughout New York State and to eliminate the 10:00 PM curfew allowing restaurants to serve until midnight. We want to thank Borough President Eric Adams for his leadership on this issue. The borough president is taking a stand for the struggling restaurant industry and his efforts will not be forgotten.”

“Brooklyn’s vital restaurant and bar industry has been battered by the pandemic and government restrictions, and with COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations trending downward, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce urges Governor Cuomo to support a path to reopening indoor dining at 50 percent occupancy and extending closing times from 10:00 PM to midnight. Through our business impact surveys and extensive outreach to small businesses across commercial corridors in every neighborhood, we have heard the same message over and over — 25 percent occupancy is woefully insufficient for these struggling businesses to break even, much less recover from the past year. Winter weather like we’re experiencing today has proven disastrous to outdoor dining, and each day we continue to restrict restaurants we dig a deeper hole in terms of this city’s economic revitalization,” said Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Randy Peers.

As part of their broader COVID-19 relief package, President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats are pushing $25 billion in grants for restaurants, with a large proportion of the funding going to New York City. However, the restaurant industry says it needs $120 billion in Federal relief as part of the RESTAURANTS Act to remain economically viable. Borough President Adams sent a letter to President Biden last month urging the Administration to prioritize Brooklyn’s restaurant industry in its recovery plans by passing the RESTAURANTS Act. He also previously called for the creation of “Hero Grants” to go to restaurants that served meals to frontline workers.

This press release was produced by the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President. The views expressed here are the author’s own.