Some cities and states have rolled back indoor dining. Is Washington state next?
At the first peak of the pandemic last spring, more than 191,000 hospitality workers across Washington state lost their jobs, according to the Washington Hospitality Association. Since then, about 100,000 of them have returned to work with restaurants permitted to operate at half-capacity.
As COVID-19 cases surge here and nationwide, and further restrictions seem inevitable, the industry hinges on the edge of survival, according to Anthony Anton, president and CEO of the state hospitality trade association.
In a news briefing Friday morning, he said, “I’m not sure we’re going to gain much by changing,” referencing reinstated bans on indoor dining in certain cities in California and in Illinois.
“What does closing down and losing those 100,000 jobs get you?” he asked.
The trade group, which represents restaurants as well as hotels and some entertainment venues, estimates that more than a third of restaurants across the state could close as a result of the pandemic and related health and safety restrictions. Independently owned, full-service restaurants will comprise a majority of those potential shutters, according to data culled from economic statistics and industry surveys.
Hotels and lodging stand to lose even more: Nearly half of hotels in Washington state could go into foreclosure without additional federal aid, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
“This is before any other changes might happen,” he added.
In Tacoma, where Pierce County is currently promoting its Restaurant Rally, a CARES Act-funded program that offers consumers a 30 percent discount on dine-in or takeout meals, Indochine Asian Dining Lounge owner Russel Brunton said fresh restrictions would force him to lay off about half of his current staff — already smaller than pre-COVID times.
“It’s hard to really convey the extent of the calamity involved with a massive reduction in sales,” he told The News Tribune Friday. “It really comes down to the bank account.”
Though Indochine has a loyal customer base and does a brisk takeout business, operating at half-capacity “is already a losing proposition.”
He worries that another round of government-mandated restrictions on a specific industry puts undue onus on businesses, especially small businesses, and runs the risk of “destroying” them.
Follow the rules of social distancing, mask-wearing and sanitizing, said Brunton, employees continue receiving paychecks, landlords rent checks, and local governments sales tax. The alternative, he added — acknowledging the importance of maintaining available hospital beds — is that no one wins.
That question of trade-offs seems to be at the crux of the nation’s moral and political arguments for and against temporary lockdowns.
Washington has generally held steady in its restaurant guidance of half-capacity, no bar seating and required masks. (From late August through early October, alcohol-only establishments could only serve outdoors, and alcohol service was cut off at 10 p.m. at all restaurants.) In New Jersey, for instance, bar seating was only recently nixed amid a wave of new infections.
Asked during the briefing if the restaurant industry was being unfairly targeted, and if other industries were similarly fretting, Anton said the hospitality profession must focus on its unique role in adhering to health and safety measures.
As a public-facing industry, he added, “We’re only gonna survive when you trust us.”
The news briefing was called Thursday night, shortly after Gov. Inslee, sitting with his wife Trudi, implored Washingtonians to curtail Thanksgiving plans. Friday morning, an hour before the call began, Inslee, along with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, initiated an advisory for visitors arriving for non-essential travel from out-of-state, asking for a 14-day quarantine.
This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Some cities and states have rolled back indoor dining. Is Washington state next?."