A couple orders a full flight of beer at Round Guys Brewing Company on Saturday afternoon.
As social distancing measures hit their second day in Montgomery County, Governor Tom Wolf took steps to more clearly define his “non-essential” business designation and strongly reiterated that he was ordering bars and restaurants to close.
In a letter sent to area business owners following Saturday’s press conference, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel Levine listed many of the business types that are among those to close, including hair salons and spas, bars, casinos, shopping malls and more. The letter had a caveat, however, stating that restaurants would be allowed to remain open, but only for carry-out and delivery services.
State-owned liquor stores were also ordered to close by Tuesday, as part of the effort to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Despite the order, some local business owners told North Penn Now that they will remain open, citing concern for their employees financial situations and a lack of a plan at the state or federal level to protect those employees from a potential financial disaster.
Among those business owners is Michael Wister, of Wister’s Barbecue in Lansdale.
“It isn't that I disagree with the governor, but closing all 'non-essential’ retail puts an enormous financially high-risk population in danger,” said Wister. “It bothers me that he is focused on our economic segment.”
Wister took aim at the “non-essential” designation, asking why large office buildings and manufacturers were allowed to stay open, while small businesses like restaurants and bars are being forced to close.
“Take Vanguard in Malvern for example; many buildings, each with hundreds of employees. Or all of the office buildings in Blue Bell,” said Wister. “I think we all know how sickness can move through an office. Is my small restaurant a greater risk? And I suspect those populations are generally more financially secure than the retail employee population.”
Wister said that as long as his employees want to work, and customers continue to order food, he will remain open, adding that it’s not as simple as closing for two weeks and then flipping a switch back to normal operations.
“Consider that many people in addition to my employees would have gone weeks without pay and wouldn't have discretionary money to spend,” said Wister. “There would be a ramp-up to full activity. I don't have any idea how long that might be, but losses would continue for some period of time.”
For Buddy Harris and Julie Palermo, who recently purchased the Lansdale Tavern at the end of 2019, the financial concerns of their employees have lead them to remain open.
“Shutting down would obviously have an impact on us financially. Would we have to make some sacrifices? Of course. Would it break us? No,” said Harris. “But, we have a family to think about as well: our employees. Most people live a little bit above paycheck to paycheck. And while it's easy to say that everyone should plan for stuff like this, that isn't always the case.”
Harris said that they would love to pay their employees for two weeks off, but the financial side of being new business owners makes that decision prohibitive.
At Round Guys Brewing Company, co-owner Scott Rudich said that a closure would radically affect the business and their staff, and he’s not sure how they would be able to recover without some sort of financial assistance. Likewise, across the street at Well Crafted Beer Co., Marketing Director Nica Bellenger said that a two-week closure would result in a loss of customers, staff, revenue and more.
While all of the businesses in this article said they will remain open, all have clearly stated that they have taken additional steps to sanitize and clean their establishments to provide a safe environment for guests. At Well Crafted, for instance, they’ve decreased the amount of guests visiting and have postponed large events. Additionally, each owner stated they were continuing to monitor the situation, with some stating they would be willing to close if forced to do so, or if employees felt unsafe.
In the realm of other “non-essential” businesses, one local contracting company—who spoke to North Penn Now on the condition of anonymity—said that they have chosen to layoff their employees due to the closure, and in order to protect the family’s immuno-compromised child. The owner stated that they gave their employees a small severance, and hoped that they would fare better on unemployment than the small stipend they intended to provide during the social distancing period.
“It will be easier to rebuild if our family is okay,” said the owner. “It will be easier to rebuild if our community is okay. It will be easier to rebuild if our country is okay.”
See also:
Manna On Main Street To Remain Open, Adjusting Schedule To Maximize Efforts During Social Distancing
Governor’s Office Clarifies ‘Non-Essential’ Designation, Pushes For Businesses To Close
Stephens Calls For ID Of Schools, Grades And Classrooms Of Students Testing Positive For COVID-19
Lansdale Police To Employ Social Distancing For Non-Priority, Not-In-Progress Calls
