SPOKANE, Wash. — Greater Spokane Incorporated believes it is not likely all Spokane businesses will survive a second shutdown under Washington’s new restrictions.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced new restrictions that include prohibiting indoor dining and allowing only 25 percent capacity in retail stores. To-go orders are still allowed.
“There's a lot of relief efforts out there, yet at the same time we know that much of the relief has run out,” GSI Chief Executive Officer Alisha Benson said. "Some of the support systems that were in place for these employers the first go round are not there right now. So without that, there's only so much that they're able to do.”
Benson said GSI recognizes the uptick in COVID-19 cases in Spokane County and believes there needs to be a balance. But, she does not think that balance should come at the expense of Spokane’s local businesses.
“We sure would have preferred to see some changes or rollbacks that would not have had such significant impacts to these sectors,” Benson said. “Because what we know at the end of the day is that a lot of what's driving the uptick isn't in our businesses, it's in our homes.”
She added that some businesses may be in a better position this time around because they can pivot back to their take-out strategies, something not all restaurants had in place before the first shutdown in Washington.
Still, the next four weeks will be challenging for local businesses and their employees.
Veraci’s Pizza in Kendall Yards is laying off about a dozen of its employees, mostly servers.
Kitchen manger AJ Varni told KREM 2 that it is especially difficult to be letting staff go because they are like family.
“They're the people that we're kind of focusing on right now to make sure that they have everything that they need,” Varni said. “We're trying to pull resources and trying to make sure that nobody has forgotten. But it is definitely a challenge.”
The new restrictions also caught Zola’s in downtown Spokane by surprise.
The bar and grill reopened from the first shutdown on November 4.
Before the new restrictions go into effect on Monday at midnight, Zola's is made a final attempt at supporting its employees.
All proceeds from Sunday and Monday will go straight to their employees.
Bartender Sheldon Moore was in good spirits Monday night at the event, despite the uncertain future.
“It’s sad, but it’s going to be OK,” Moore said. “We’ve got a great community around here we all got a big ole’ family tonight. We're pulling all of our tabs together and splitting it amongst the rest of us. So, it's going be OK. We're going to make it through.”
After the event Monday night, Zola’s expects to close for at least two weeks. Management said they hope to reopen soon and offer take-out orders.