Comments

1

"Creating new policy to shut down streets has immense complications..."

If only there were other cities that had already thought through those complications, so we could use their approach as a guide to make our own policy. But as we all know, Seattle is a super special place with problems that don't exist anywhere else in the known universe. I mean, it's all well and good for a tiny hamlet like Manhattan to do this, but in a big city like Seattle it's a different thing.

3

Durkan was too busy gassing people. Sheesh, you people want everything.

4

Parking lot dining is not going to save restaurants. Period.

5

@4 Neither is giving them no other options than to operate at half capacity or shut down.

6

@4: Maybe not, but no need to begrudge those would welcome the experience.

8

There seems to be an extremely deep denial about the reality regarding restaurants.

It Will Take Years for the Restaurant Industry to Recover
The road back will be longer, and far more disruptive, than the Great Recession was.
June 2020 Danny Klein
https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2020/07/23/44147698/restaurants-frustrated-at-mayors-slowness-over-closing-streets-for-outdoor-dining/comments

9

Also - fast food (which is what Dick's is) is not a restaurant. Junk sold as "food" has nothing to do with the restaurant industry.

10

UGH wrong link:

It Will Take Years for the Restaurant Industry to Recover
The road back will be longer, and far more disruptive, than the Great Recession was.
June 2020 Danny Klein

https://www.fsrmagazine.com/consumer-trends/it-will-take-years-restaurant-industry-recover

11

Restauranteurs could get a bunch of food trucks leading crowds to dine outside Durkan's mansion. That is the only way to get a quick response. Though I guess the kind of response could go either way. . . .

12

@5 My sister has worked in the restaurant industry her entire life and runs an Irish pub in Massachusetts. That business is on life support and their parking lot turned restaurant is not going to save it. She absolutely refuses to acknowledge that there is no way to save that business. Right now they're fighting 95 degree plus weather, only able to have 6 tables, and currently have 80% of the staff that will never return. They had trouble keeping people on staff in good times (because MA pays servers $2 and change an hour plus tips). The restaurant is not capable of surviving on 50% indoor dining and after summer is over that would be the requirement. The cost of managing COVID-19 cleaning and distancing requirements and equipment on top of the rent, payroll, insurance, liquor licensing, etc. is just not sustainable. Not even remotely.

This country is in for a serious slap in the face reckoning of how our economy, mostly based on the service industry, cannot even survive (let alone thrive) as long as this virus remains contagious and raging through the country. Recovery cannot even begin until that happens and with the government's continued refusal to acknowledge reality as cases and deaths keep going up, when will that be? How many of these businesses and the people who work at them are going to be able to hold on through the end of 2021? My bet is next to none, especially when Congress ends putting any money out there (and they're already gutting that stimulus NOW, believing another $1200 and $400 a month in unemployment for two months will be enough to stave off the economic devastation that is coming).

Add to that, the fact that we haven't even gotten to the evictions (both commercial and personal), the supply chain collapse, or the inability of anyone to spend any money because they won't have any to spend (unless they are tech bro working from home) and these businesses that believe they are going to be able to "come back" are facing a bleak reality.

The thing to remember about all of this, all of the catastrophic loss we have experienced this year and catastrophic loss yet to come, is that it was nearly 100% preventable had we had a president with a fully staffed, competent and prepared administration who took the pandemic warning seriously (back in September 2019 or even in January 2020). Every single bit of this pain and devastation is on Trump and the GOP. The only hope we have is that they all pay for it and pay for it so harshly that nothing like this ever happens again. (I am not going to hold my breath on that).

13

If restaurants were smart, they would all get involved with WCK to feed people (as a way to keep their businesses existing and their employees employed).
https://wck.org/

https://www.fcsi.org/foodservice-consultant/worldwide/jose-andres-wins-2020-basque-world-culinary-prize/

15

Yeah this is not a political issue. The restaurant problem is nationwide and many places that have opened have had to close again because the virus is out of control (and those are all in Republican led states - see Florida and Missouri and Texas for the worst of the current shit shows). Massachusetts also has a Republican governor.

Canlis has financial capital to pivot and survive. They were an extremely high end, family run business. Now they're selling, what, burgers and beer? Not many restaurants have that kind of capital and even some who may (like Andy Ricker's Pok Pok enterprise) are seeing the writing on the wall and closing up shop. Pok Pok will only re-open its original location on Division St. in Portland, OR when Ricker deems it possible to do so safely. (And again, he has the ability, financially, to pay rent on a restaurant for however long he has to before he decides to re-open).

16

@14

Half a Century of one Party Democratic Rule has been fine for restaurants. It's 3.5 years of Trump rule that has brought us here.

17

@16 haha, right? And what's the solution to the problem of a city GOP that puts up only sad sacks and losers for half a century? Maybe some kind of affirmative action.

19

@xina thanks for the college dissertation that in no way addresses the point I was making, I guess.

20

More seriously, Jenny Durkan is the sort of politician who would have been perfectly at home in the Republican Party of 1970. But the GOP made a conscious decision to set it self up with a coalition that pits the suburbs against the cities long ago. And the cities noticed.

22

@21 Where are the Democrats? Mitch McConnell and the GOP majority Senate went home for the weekend (today, Thursday) without doing a damn thing about the 2nd stimulus act. They want to reduce unemployment to $100/week (from the $600 week) and they want it to last for 2 months (when Democrats wanted the $600 to last through next year). This is the same GOP that has the NERVE to say we have NO MONEY when they gutted revenue with the largest (unnecessary) tax cut in the history of the country, refuse to cut the bloated military budget, and believe we need to force everyone back to work and to school in the middle of a pandemic. Please explain how the Democrats are the problem. I'll wait. (Oh and your comment about taxes, what exactly are the billionaires paying in taxes in Seattle - because all measures to tax them have failed have they not)? Again, waiting.

23

PS And they stole nearly the entirety of the $500 BILLION in stimulus money meant for small businesses. But please continue with how the Democrats are the problem.

And please (regarding Seattle specifically) point out all of the Republican led cities in WA that are doing more for their cities during this pandemic. I'll wait.

24

@15: Burgers and beer huh.

https://canlis.com/familymeal

25

Well, the Mayor works for Big Corporate interests, and they want to drive small business competitors out of business.

Does that answer your question?

That said, encouraging drinking in outside areas is a very high risk factor. BC had to shut down the entire Interior because of that leading to COVID spreading.

The Governor is wise to shut down evening drinking and indoor eating, even if it is a total pain in the Butte.


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