For many Clark County residents, the coronavirus outbreak is an annoyance requiring them to work at home and practice social distancing. But for workers in restaurants and bars, it is a disaster.
Gov. Jay Inslee last week required the closing of restaurants except for to-go orders. While the step is a necessary effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, it also is a call for all of us to seek ways to help local workers and owners in an industry that typically operates on a razor-thin profit margin.
Many local restaurants are providing food to go or delivery services, and The Columbian is updating a list of locally owned outlets that are doing their best to keep revenue flowing. Despite that alternative to in-house dining, many employees have been laid off or seen their hours shortened.
The situation provides a lesson in economics. When a restaurant sees a downturn in business, it orders less food and supplies from vendors — hurting those businesses and their employees. It creates less revenue for owners and employees, diminishing their ability to purchase groceries or household supplies and, in turn, hurting those businesses. And it reduces foot traffic from people who might also patronize neighboring businesses, harming them as well.
Restaurants and bars are particularly susceptible to changes in spending and in many ways are a bellwether of the local economy — in good times and bad. With outlets being closed, workers who rely heavily on tips will be especially hurt financially, and kitchen workers, bartenders and servers — who typically labor for hourly wages — will see their ability to pay rent or put food on the table diminished.
The closing of bars and restaurants throughout Washington is necessary. Public health must be the first consideration during the crisis, and critics throughout the country who have urged patrons to visit restaurants in areas where they remain open have acted irresponsibly and demonstrated little understanding of pandemics.
But that necessity does not diminish the economic impact to the canary in the coal mine that is the restaurant industry. To some extent, help is on the way. Gov. Inslee has placed a 30-day moratorium on evictions for failure to pay rent — covering all employees, not just restaurant workers. And Congress has passed the first of what likely will be several bills designed to keep the economy running as smoothly as possible.
But there also are steps that Clark County residents can take to support local restaurants. One is to order from a favorite restaurant that is offering takeout, delivery or curbside pickup. Those orders will allow kitchens to stay open and will allow some employees, if not all, to keep working. It also will allow customers to avoid the kitchen for a night and save all the beans and rice they have stockpiled for another time.
Another suggestion is to purchase gift cards from a neighborhood restaurant. This will provide some revenue for workers and can give you a meal to look forward to when things return to some semblance of normalcy — and the tab is already paid.
Of course, the restaurant industry is not the only one affected by the coronavirus outbreak. It will take years before the economic impact of the crisis can be fully assessed, and it will be especially stressful for small, locally owned businesses that are being deprived of essential revenue.
As we have written editorially and likely will repeat, we are all in this together. Coming up with ways to support your favorite local business will help us all get through it.
