Providence, RI – As spring time closes in, the coronavirus continues to impact Rhode Islanders. The restaurant business is taking one of the biggest hits, as Governor Gina Raimondo recently extended the no dine-in order to May 8. Some restaurants are able to run serving takeout orders only, while many have been forced to close their doors completely. Workers have been forced to either file for unemployment or alter their schedules to fit changes undergone by their business.
One restaurant affected is the Federal Taphouse in Providence. Sydney Marotte is a server at the steakhouse, who temporarily lost her job after the decision was made to close doors entirely during the pandemic. However, Marotte is optimistic that her position will still be available once the restaurant reopens; “I am confident that I will still have my waitressing position available once we can reopen.”
Kayleigh McElroy, another employee of the Taphouse has also seen her job temporarily lost. She is more concerned about job security, since there is so much uncertainty regarding the virus; “It’s hard to predict when this is all going to end, and how hard it is going to hit the restaurant industry once we reopen and in the future.” McElroy believes that restaurants will have to operate with precautions taken for the foreseeable future.
In Raimondo’s televised address on Tuesday, April 21, she offered advise to restaurant owners on how to approach reopening their businesses once the order is lifted; “Start to think about ways you can change the layout of your shop or your restaurant – maybe you’re going to have to take tables out. The rule of thumb of people being six feet apart is still a good one.” Raimondo believes even after the dine-in order is lifted, measures still have to be taken to limit the possibility of spreading.
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