SACRAMENTO — Nearly a third of California's restaurants permanently closed and two-thirds of workers at least temporarily lost their jobs as the pandemic set in more than a year ago and Gov. Gavin Newsom imposed the nation's first statewide lockdown, a legislative committee reported Tuesday. Few business sectors were more...
Where Have All the Restaurant Workers Gone?
The restaurants are back. Bravo! Across the country, restaurants are open or beginning to open. Cheers! But there is something amiss. Something unexpected and as-yet-unexplained is going on: There is a national shortage of restaurant workers. The Pandemic Changed the Restaurant Industry During the lockdown, I was among many who...
Los Angeles County Restaurants Defying Health Orders, Call Outdoor Dining ‘Peaceful Protest’ in Possible Loophole
[aggregation-styles] FOX11 News LOS ANGELES - Numerous restaurant owners are defying California's order to close their doors, but they say it isn't because they don't think the virus is dangerous. It’s a matter of survival. As the owners put it — when outdoor dining stops, the rent isn’t put on...
Pasadena Rejects LA County Ban, Allows Outdoor Dining to Continue
PASADENA, Calif. — It was a rare sight after Los Angeles County restaurants were restricted to takeout to reduce the spread of the coronavirus: tables and chairs set up outside the Pie 'N Burger shop in Pasadena. Owner Michael Osborn explained to two men who approached him Monday that the...
Fresno, Other Counties Face Restaurant Wrath Over Booze, Health Fees in Pandemic
California's financially battered restaurants filed government claims Monday to recover more than $100 million in fees for liquor and health permits and tourism charges that they say were assessed even though their businesses were shuttered or only partially operating under long-running coronavirus orders. The owners contend they have been being...
Clovis Restaurant Gives Up Alcohol License After Citation. Agency Conducts Area Sweep.
One Clovis business owner has decided that fighting with agents from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control over COVID-19 regulations is no longer worth it. House of JuJu co-owner Julie Glenn said she's given up her restaurant's license to serve beer and wine after being cited in early July...
With Loan Money Gone, Restaurants Are at Mercy of Virus
NEW YORK — The check has arrived and beleaguered restaurant owners across America are looking down on their empty wallets. Government coronavirus loans in the spring helped eating establishments rehire laid-off employees and ride out the pandemic's initial surge and wave of shutdown orders. But that Paycheck Protection Program money...
City of Fresno Ends Shelter-in-Place Effective Tuesday
Calling it a dramatic change in policy, Fresno Mayor Lee Brand announced in a Thursday news conference the end of the city's shelter-in-place order effective 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, May 26. The new COVID-19 rules also ended a requirement that people wear a face mask in public, making it voluntary. Enforcement...
Fresno County Gets Chance to Plead With State: Allow ‘Dine-in’ Food Service
Letter sent, letter received, and a Monday phone meeting is set. The subject: Allow Fresno County to open restaurants. Fresno County's interim health officer Vohra and health director David Pomaville got the immediate attention of state Health Director Dr. Sonia Angell with a two-page letter. "We are requesting to move further...
Table for Two on Sidewalk, Patio or Parking Lot? Fresno Explores Its Options.
Fresno is joining other cities in looking at using sidewalks, patios, and parking lots to help restaurants get back to serving food on tables again. Mayor Lee Brand is open to the idea and discussed the opportunity and challenges with his Recovery Advisory Committee on Thursday. The California Restaurant Association hosted...