‘I told you so.’ Restaurants reopen only to close again. Here’s why

Pete Boland’s restaurant, The Galley, recently reopened after Florida relaxed its rules connected to the spread of the coronavirus, The Washington Post reported.

But after learning that several of his servers tested positive for COVID-19 last week, Boland made the decision to close the doors once again, according to the Post.

“There’s a lot of ‘I told you so,’ which is unfortunate,” Boland told the Post. “It’s like people were rooting for something to prove this wrong.”

Boland is one of many restaurant owners across the country who are choosing to close their establishments as coronavirus cases surge in several states, according to multiple news outlets.

Florida’s Department of Health confirmed that there have been multiple days in the last week that broke records for the number of new cases since March, The Independent reported.

More closings in Texas

Texas started reopening May 1 and since then, at least a dozen restaurants in or near Houston announced temporary closings so staff can be tested and facilities can be sanitized, according to CBS. Houston’s Taste of Texas shut down after an employee tested positive and one day before, the Relish Restaurant & Bar closed due to an infected employee, CBS reported.

“You have to figure, until there is a vaccine or a cure, it will happen to businesses and to many more than once,” Robert Shimberg, head of Hill Ward Henderson law firm’s coronavirus task force who advises businesses about how to handle outbreaks, told the Post.

The story is much the same in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where restaurants closed after employees tested positive for the virus, reports KTVT.

“If you try to hide it, that’s where owners get in trouble,” Andrew Trusevich, a labor attorney to the TV station.

On Thursday, Texas reported 3,516 new cases, besting the previous high of 3,129 on Wednesday, according to CNBC.

On Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the increase in cases is “no reason today to be alarmed.”

‘There is no playbook’

Boland has consulted agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the St. Petersburg mayor’s office about how to go about handling sick employees, but it’s mostly up to his discretion, according to the Post.

“There is no playbook,” Boland said.

Restaurants are also closing as contact tracing shows outbreaks among clusters of people are linked to certain establishments, The Independent reported. Lynch’s Irish Pub in Jacksonville, Florida closed this weekend after 15 people who ate at the restaurant became infected with coronavirus, according to The Independent.

The Wreck Tiki Lounge on Jacksonville Beach also closed over the weekend after learning customers infected with COVID-19 visited the establishment, The Independent reported. The owner announced on social media that they would sanitize and test employees before reopening.

Cleaning costs add up

Popular restaurants in Boise, Idaho have also announced that they will close for a brief period after finding out that other businesses in the area have had employees test positive for COVID-19, the Idaho Statesman reported. The Central District Health Department confirmed that customers infected with the virus had visited bars in Boise and Meridian, according to the Statesman.

“Given the impact of COVID-19 on our friends and partners in the Boise service industry, we are again closing,” Bittercreek Alehouse announced on Facebook. “We are diligently working to find out more information about any connection our staff have with confirmed cases and working with staff to get tested. If we find out that any staff test positive we will post fully transparent updates. Thank you again for all of your support during this time.”

Costs associated with sanitizing, COVID-19 testing and lost business are also forcing some restaurants to shut down, the Post reported. And while it’s good that workers are able to go back to work and get a paycheck, there’s always the risk of becoming infected, according to the Post.

“In a way, it’s harder than when things were shut down,” John deBary, the co-founder and board president of the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation, told the Post. “You’re given this choice, and it’s an impossible choice.”

This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 6:35 PM with the headline "‘I told you so.’ Restaurants reopen only to close again. Here’s why."