Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - Restaurants hoping that they would be granted a one-night exemption from the 10:00PM curfew on dining for Saturday's Bills game have been denied by New York State.
The State Health Department said in a statement that they would not grant an exemption, and all food/beverage establishments have to close at 10:00PM statewide. That includes any concession stands in Bills Stadium.
“The fact is the CDC has specifically pointed to indoor dining as a higher-risk activity, and this policy is a commonsense way to reduce the risk of exposure," read a statement from a spokesperson at the State Department of Health. "As much as we feel for restaurants in Buffalo and as much as we want to let fans watch the game at bars, we won’t sacrifice public health.”
"We want to avoid a situation like what happened in Alabama earlier this week," the spokesperson said, referencing the scenes of thousands of college students lining the streets to celebrate Alabama's victory in the College Football National Title game.
In the City of Buffalo, that means that outdoor dining parties like the one that happened for the Wild Card game won't happen.
"If we can't service patrons for the full four or five hours to try to recoup that expense, only being open for half time just doesn't justify it," Chris Ring, owner of Rec Room on Chippewa Street in Buffalo told WBEN. "We wouldn't be able to do it."
Ring was able to serve people who reserved outdoor tables on a closed off section of the street for the Bills' first playoff game last Saturday, a watch party that had to be meticulously planned in cooperation with the City.
"I was very hopeful it was going to be on Sunday," said Dave Schutte, owner of Britesmith Brewing in Williamsville. "As soon as that game time hit, my heart sunk. Immediately I thought of 10:00."
Related
