Governor's shutdown of inside dining another blow to restaurants, bars

Restaurant and bar owners in Westmoreland County who were hoping to cash in any way they could during the Christmas and New Year holidays — typically one of the busiest times of the year, when not in a pandemic — suffered another blow Thursday with the announcement of another round of Pennsylvania business restrictions and shutdowns.

That includes a ban on indoor dining until Jan. 4, along with closures of casinos, gyms and movie theaters, among others.

“It’s 2020. Nothing surprises me anymore,” said Jeff Guidos, owner of All Saints Brewery in Hempfield. “I feel bad for people … they are really concerned (about covid).”

Candy Zambo, owner of Candy’s Corner Cafe on Main Street in Irwin, also was not shocked at the announcement from Gov. Tom Wolf, who imposed a new round of restrictions set to begin Saturday at 12 a.m.

”What am I going to do about it. Cry? I already did that when I heard the news,” she said.

Wolf’s orders came on a night when she had a crowded dining room — a sight that soon cannot be duplicated until next year.

Zambo opened her restaurant this summer, after being delayed by restrictions Wolf imposed in March. She intends to ramp up her takeout business. Servers who typically would serve meals tableside now will make home deliveries, if Zambo can grow that part of her business.

“I worry about my employees,” she said.

The restaurant restrictions will be “hard on our staff,” said Greg Cammerata, owner of IronRock Tap House outside of the Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield.

Before the pandemic, his restaurant employed about 100 people. Under the pending restrictions, he said, he will cull his staff to two people to handle takeout orders and sell gift cards.

“We don’t feel it’s really worth it to put a big tent out in the parking lot,” he said of outdoor dining options.

Payroll protection funds “went a long way to keep us going” during earlier business restrictions, Cammerata said. He expressed hope that additional federal support for restaurants and other hard-hit businesses will soon come from Congress.

The latest news of restrictions and closures tasted pretty bitter to Guidos of All Saints Brewery, who questioned why Wolf gave businesses little more than 24 hours to adjust and react.

Guidos said he has done what the governor wants to remain safe — separate tables and sanitize everything. While he has outdoor seating, it does not seem feasible to do it at this cold time of the year.

Wolf’s order barring indoor dining does not prevent people from gathering for a private holiday party at someone’s home — and without safe practices, Guidos said.

“They will be crammed together in kitchens and basements and not social distancing” — along with not wearing masks, Guidos said.

He plans to check with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board about rules for selling growlers, so customers can take his beer home to drink.

There is no good time for a shutdown — but it could hardly be worse for Mr. Mike’s Sports Pub and Grub, which underwent a major renovation that was to be complete by next week.

Like other businesses, they are focusing on takeouts and curbside orders, said Gina Reihart, manager of the restaurant and bar.

“We really count on our holiday sales to help get us through January,” she said.

Stuggling to understand a second shutdown order is Patrick Hector, a North Huntingdon resident who tends bar at New Crescent Brewery in Irwin for extra money after working his full-time job in Monroeville.

“It is ridiculous. What is it going to do different than it did before?” Hector asked, referring to a 2½-month shutdown from late March to June.

Wolf’s new order means a complete shutdown for some businesses.

Greg Andrew of McKeesport said he often travels to area casinos with friends as an alternative to meeting at bars. He was at Live! Casino Pittsburgh at the Westmoreland Mall on Thursday evening.

Though not happy about the restrictions or Wolf’s policies, he said, “It is what it is, I guess. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Larry Furlong and his wife, Carla, of Brownsville, also planned to check out the new casino.

Furlong, a firefighter with Denbo-Vesta Six Volunteer Fire Department, is concerned about how the restrictions on indoor gatherings will impact department fundraisers.

“I don’t know how we’re going to keep the doors open without bingo,” he said.

Colleen Yeager of Ruffs Dale, while shopping at the Westmoreland Mall for holiday presents, said more people need to follow the rules — including wearing masks in public, as she was.

“I think part of the reason we’re here where we are is because people aren’t cooperating,” she said. “They can yell at the powers that be all they want to, but the fact of it is we need to take responsibility and they’re not doing that.”

Yeager said she is planning a Christmas gathering that will be limited to family members who live nearby, “as long as none of us is sick. We’re not going to be traveling.”

She expressed concern that others may be lax in pandemic precautions during year-end celebrations.

“The holidays are not going to let things calm down for a while,” she said. “People are still going to do what they’re going to do.”