Kevin Mitchell: A compromise covid-19 restaurant and bar policy

Gov. Tom Wolf’s most recent and well-intentioned approach to covid-19 mitigations in the operations of restaurants and bars addresses an important health safety concern but unnecessarily creates other problems. Like other governors, his goal is to halt the increase in spread of covid-19, which has been heading in the wrong direction this summer.

One problem that is a barrier to the governor’s important goal would appear to be hordes of young people packing into stand-alone bars and restaurants with bars. It is a real health-safety issue when these customers do not appropriately distance themselves and do not wear face masks. They can become super-spreaders of the disease. Importantly, it can become unworkable for bar and restaurant staff to police these customers properly and safely.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Restaurant and Tavern Association and its 200 members are mad as hell and threatening to stand up against Wolf’s July 15 policy announcement by vowing, among other steps, to open to 100% capacity. They have every reason to be deeply concerned, especially since Wolf has not responded to their well-reasoned and communicated concerns.

According to Yelp, some 16,000 U.S. restaurants, and untold numbers of bars, have thus far closed permanently. Many represent generations-old family businesses and life’s savings; all represent workers’ livelihoods. Pennsylvania’s policy shows little empathy for these businesses and workers, and if unchanged, will no doubt lead to a wave of failed businesses and ruined lives.

Some would say that the current Pennsylvania policy represents ill-conceived and illogical overreach. For example, after a hard day’s work, a customer has to order a meal just to have a beer with a co-worker at 5 p.m. – even if having dinner later with family. And when finished eating, the customer cannot be served another beer. However, if they were drinking Cokes, they would not have to order a meal and could stay as long as desired with each co-worker distanced from the other exactly the same as if they were enjoying beers. From a health-safety perspective, what is the functional difference between the soda and beer drinkers?

According to a Longwoods International study for the travel, tourism and hospitality industry, in which I work, customer trust in the Centers for Disease Control has plummeted to 45% and to 17% for the White House coronavirus task force. When covid-19 policy at the federal or state level appears incompetent, everchanging or dismissive of other considerations and concerns important to citizens, then the risk is that people stop listening and instead follow the advice or dangerous example of others. We do not want to start Pennsylvania down this path.

The good news for Wolf and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Restaurant and Tavern Association is that there is a viable alternative to the current policy. A compromise solution would be to keep the face mask rule in place while eliminating the current meal, dining capacity and no-bar-seating requirements. Instead, require all tables and bar stools to be spaced at 6 feet apart and stop all alcohol sales at 8 p.m., period, full stop.

This would address the one problem with restaurants and bars that the governor is rightly concerned with but allow responsible hospitality and enforceable social-interaction rules for hospitality establishments. Businesses and jobs would be saved.

This policy prescription would not adversely impact the many BYOB restaurants across the state as they do not sell, but rather serve, a customer’s wine or alcohol. For those higher end restaurants for whom it makes financial sense, they would have to option to switch to a BYOB format after 8 p.m.

This alternative would be responsive to the goals and concerns of Pennsylvania health-safety officials and the owners, staff and customers of bars and restaurants.

Kevin Mitchell is chairman of the Wayne, Pa.-based Business Travel Coalition.