Bobby Van’s owner Joseph Smith on Governor Cuomo’s plan to reopen indoor dining in New York City at a 25% capacity.
A NYC restaurant owner turned down Gov. Cuomo’s indoor dining Friday Friday, arguing that New York is the “ worst run state in the country. ”
Joseph Smith, the owner of Bobby Van’s Steakhouse, said during a performance on “Mornings With Maria” that as of today, the 25% indoor dining capacity will do little to help ailing restaurant businesses in the city.
“Give us 12 hours of closure, give us the bar and give us 50% [capacity] so we can break even and possibly catch up with the last year we’ve had, ”said Smith.
Smith explained that the reopening in other cities and even surrounding parts of the state is making New York City look bad.
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He added that commercial areas of the city have been hit particularly hard since a large influx of customers, such as lawmakers and Wall Street workers, has just returned to office spaces with a 10% occupancy rate.
In addition, Broadway and the area’s hotels won’t reopen until June, when vaccines are expected to be widely distributed, making it even more difficult for restaurants to retain customers.
Some restaurant owners have called for front-line workers, such as food and beverage workers, to be pushed to the front of vaccination to reopen their higher-capacity businesses.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo characterized calls for restaurant employees to be prioritized within the state’s coronavirus vaccine rollout, a “cheap, insincere discussion” on Monday.
“Yes, I would like to see restaurant employees eligible – that makes perfect sense,” Cuomo told reporters. “But what does eligibility mean if you don’t have the necessary stock?”
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Cuomo also noted that by adding one group to the eligible list, he would have to remove another group given the limited supply of the vaccine.
FOX Business’ Brittany De Lea contributed to this report.