Buffalo, NY (WBEN) As the weather cools down this fall, restaurants are facing a bigger challenge as they deal with limited indoor capacity. What can be done to help them?
The city of Buffalo has already begun to help restaurants by allowing propane heaters outdoors. The city says state fire code businesses are allowed to use portable propane heaters on sidewalks, parking lots and patios so long as the areas are not enclosed, which the city defines as a structure with walls and a roof.
Mayor Byron Brown stated, "We continue to offer whatever support we can to help our local small businesses as we continue to get through the COVID-19 pandemic together. We will maintain outdoor dining as a safe option for people as the temperatures become cooler. Enabling restaurants to utilize outdoor propane heaters will help ensure their survival. I encourage residents to continue to support small businesses, which are the lifeblood of our community."
Delaware District Council Member Joel Feroleto stated, "The restaurant industry has been one of the hardest hit by COVID-19. We need to support our local restaurants now more than ever. Permitting outdoor heaters will give restaurants the ability to accommodate more guests and a better chance of surviving the pandemic."
Amherst restaurant owner Tom Loughran says outdoor heaters will be a tough proposition once the weather turns. "Our climate is not really conducive to dining outdoors. It might help for October, but in November and December, at least for my operation, it won't work," says Loughran.
State Senator Patrick Gallivan says he understood the executive orders at the beginning of the emergency because of split second decisions that needed to be made at the time. But now, is the time to restore checks and balances, says Gallivan. "We should be looking at the pros and cons, what risks that we should be taking, and the only way to do that is a return to checks and balances." Gallivan believes a set of guidelines and certainties to follow is needed for restaurants in New York. "Everybody needs to know what the rules are, what are the metrics and triggers for expansion or further restrictions for business," explains Gallivan.
As far as what the state can do, Gallivan says take a look at expanding capacity. "We're at 50 percent capacity, could we go higher, to 60 or 75 percent, as long as we're practicing safe social distancing," ponders Gallivan. "My constitutents say while they approve of the safety measures, they are concerned about the structure of government and the freedoms at stake."
Capacity expansion has come up on the mind of Assemblymember Crystal Peoples-Stokes. "If it looks like it's diminished to a certain extent, then we should absolutely reconsider how many people can be in your room. I don't think there's any specificity in terms of dollars, on how we can help, but we're open to the conversation," says Peoples-Stokes, noting the state is dealing with a budget deficit.
Financial on the mind of Erie County Legislator Joe Lorigo, who was furious the small business committee tabled a grant plan for restaurants Thursday. "The majority is hoping to get this approved as part of an overall small business plan. But the earliest funding would be available is November 15, and by then they'll be dealing with cold, maybe snow, and may have to close their doors," says Lorigo. "My colleagues in the minority caucus put forward a grant program that would give up to $15,000 in restaurant owners hands to expand outdoor dining. Instead the Democrats in the legislature said no, we don't need to prioritize that."
Lorigo is also upset over the Democrats' small business proposal basing grants on zip code, access to the Paycheck Protection Plan, and women and minority owned businesses. "They're not looking at need as a top three factor," says Lorigo.
