COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants are having a negative impact on oyster farmers. Despite conditions being ripe for perfect sized oysters, Drago’s owner Tommy Cvitanovich says oyster farmers are hurting because the demand from restaurants is just not there.
“So with the restaurant market being gone right now, the supply and demand part of the oyster is having a horrible time. You know, the whole country is having a hard time right now,” Cvitanovich explained to WWL’s Tommy Tucker. “If you are not selling oysters, these things are getting too big, and then there is no market for them at that point...and obviously they are more expensive.”
Cvitanovich says COVID restrictions on restaurants have made it difficult to keep restaurants staffed with employees. He mentions he had to close his restaurant, because one employee tested positive for COVID and 19 other employees had to self-quarantine for 2 weeks, because they may have had contact with that positive employee.
“Now, to my knowledge out of those...none came back positive,” Cvitanovich said. He also says it is now harder to hire employees because of the higher unemployment pay.