An empty restaurant is seen in New York City. (Photo by Jeenah Moon / Getty Images)
TO Newsroom
UPDATED at 10:10 a.m.PT – Friday, January 1, 2021
Restaurant owners in New York have filed multiple lawsuits in recent weeks to restore their businesses, which were largely closed during the pandemic.
The most recent lawsuits were filed this week as restaurant owners said they were frustrated by the frequent changes to the rules that prevent them from eating in. Many of these restaurants operate in the orange zones of the state, limiting the businesses to eat out, take out, or deliver.
With forecasts for the state with temperatures just above freezing, outdoor dining is fading as an option.
Owners have argued that the standards for restrictions in the orange zone continue to change, basing one day on positive COVID-19 cases and the next day on available hospital beds. They also said data shows that less than 1.5 percent of the COVID-19 spread is due to restaurants, with most of the spread due to private gatherings.
So the question is, these extreme actions of shutting down, actually shutting down these restaurants for in-service dining, in-house dining, is it reasonable under these circumstances? The economic impact on the business owner and all employees is reasonable in light of the extremely slow transfer rate, ”asked attorney Adam Gee.
A group of about 40 restaurant owners in upstate New York has filed a lawsuit to have their business reopen. According to reports, a judge is telling the state to compromise or provide the scientific evidence to support the restrictions.
‘It takes a personal toll, on my family, on my children. You know, Christmas was extremely difficult this year, almost embarrassing. I felt embarrassed because I could hardly afford to provide for my family, ”said Brandon Carr, owner of the neighborhood. “We still have to find a way to replenish all of our food, find new staff, devise new salary systems and all that.”
In New York City, the hospitality alliance has argued that an indoor dining ban does more harm than good, saying that about 1,000 restaurants have closed and tens of thousands of industrial jobs have been lost.
The office of Governor Andrew Cuomo (DN.Y.) has reportedly indicated that the state is facing multiple lawsuits over the restrictions.