2020/12/21 16:00 FILE - In this Dec. 17, 2020, file photo, a woman walks through a snowstorm in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) FILE - In this Dec. 17, 2020, file photo, a woman walks through a snowstorm in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) FILE - In this Dec. 17, 2020, file photo, A COVID-19 testing site at McCoy Stadium sits empty as State-operated testing sites closed due to a snowstor. FILE - In this Dec. 17, 2020, file photo, A COVID-19 testing site at McCoy Stadium sits empty as State-operated testing sites closed due to a snowstorm in Pawtucket, R.I. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
Coronavirus updates: FDA authorizes Moderna vaccine; Democrats ask CDC to list educators as critical group; Pence gets vaccinated Jessica Flores, Ryan W. Miller and Joel Shannon, USA TODAY
COVID-19 relief package: Offers extra $300 in unemployment
Replay Video UP NEXT
USA TODAY is keeping track of the news surrounding COVID-19 as vaccines begin to roll out nationwide. Just this week, the U.S. marked the stark milestone of more than 17 million cases and 300,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates on vaccine distribution, including who is getting the shots and where, as well as other COVID-19 news from across the USA TODAY Network. Sign up for our
NEW YORK – Billy Cole said the restaurant has lost tens of thousands of dollars since the start of the pandemic, if not $100,000.
Workers have been furloughed and salaries cut at Little Dokebi, a Korean restaurant in Brooklyn s Greenpoint neighborhood. Despite the losses, it s been one of the lucky ones because it s on a corner with plenty of outdoor dining space, said Cole, the general manager.
After this week s snowstorm signaled the start of cold weather and the governor renewed a ban on indoor dining, Cole knows it s going to be almost exclusively takeout and delivery orders that drive business for the next several months.
The New York Post covered the first wave of complaints prior to an update issued Friday.
“If my SLA-licensed establishment is offering outdoor dining, may I allow customers to use the bathroom inside?” one person asked.
“No,” an official responded. “Customers may not enter the inside of the establishment for any reason.”
The decision exacerbated already-steaming entrepreneurs who have dealt with mercurial edicts issued by lawmakers since the outbreak of COVID-19 early in the year.
“[This is] another example of why restaurants and bars feel like government is purposely kicking them in the gut and then stopping on their hand when they’re already down,” responded Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, the Post reported.
Coronavirus updates: FDA authorizes Moderna vaccine; Democrats ask CDC to list educators as critical group; Pence gets vaccinated Jessica Flores, Ryan W. Miller and Joel Shannon, USA TODAY
COVID-19 relief package: Offers extra $300 in unemployment
Replay Video UP NEXT
USA TODAY is keeping track of the news surrounding COVID-19 as vaccines begin to roll out nationwide. Just this week, the U.S. marked the stark milestone of more than 17 million cases and 300,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates on vaccine distribution, including who is getting the shots and where, as well as other COVID-19 news from across the USA TODAY Network. Sign up for our