By Andrew Gruel
California restaurant owners and employees have celebrated the end of strict lockdowns and begun the process of reopening. While California remains the only state in the nation to continue to ban indoor dining, most of us are back cooking, serving and — especially — cleaning for our valued customers
. Unfortunately though, our issues are not over. Restaurant owners are staring down possible COVID-related lawsuits for years on end. Just one lawsuit could mean, again, shuttered doors and employees fired — this time permanently.
Simply put, we are not protected. As we are constantly reminded by Sacramento politicians, California is the fifth-largest economy in the world . Yet those same politicians seem to forget the economy is powered by millions of small businesses responsible for tens of millions of jobs.
Our leaders in Sacramento have left businesses wide open to COVID-related litigation that promises massive paydays for lawyers, but risking the survival of businesses and the jobs they support. Unfortunately, restaurants have it worse than most. Already small and shrinking profit margins, coupled with the outsized negative effects from lockdowns, have us hanging […]
Restaurants in the Gaslamp on Fifth Avenue set up dining in the street. Photo by Chris Stone
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