Pretty soon restaurants will be able to operate at 75% capacity.
Last week Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the move upward from 50% capacity at restaurants and bar.
Restaurant owners say it’s going to be a welcomed change- but most would also like to see the food-requirement dropped on alcohol purchases. That would particularly help bars that have been struggling since the pandemic began.
The Auburn Citizen spoke with a number of restaurant owners in the Auburn-area, who recounted their struggles over the last 12 months. There have been modest offerings by the federal and state government, but at the end of the day- the economic impact of the pandemic has devastated most of them.
“It’s easy to close, but I’m affecting other people’s lives,” Andrew Kirkland told The Citizen. Kirkland is one of those restaurant owners who struggled, but stayed open in 2020. “We have a lot of customers appreciate that we’ve stayed open. They love the place and want to come out.”
READ IT: Auburn restaurant owners speak out about pandemic, future business (The Auburn Citizen)
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