RESTAURANTS CONTINUE TO BE AMONG
THE SMALL BUSINESSES STRUGGLING
TO SURVIVE IN THE FACE OF
COVID-19.
IN DANE COUNTY, AN EMERGENCY
ORDER DECLARED JULY 1 REDUCES
RESTAURANT CAPACITY TO 25% AND
CLOSES INDOOR SERVICE ALTOGETHER
AT BARS.
THE TAVERN LEAGUE OF WISCONSIN
HAS SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THESE
KINDS OF RESTRICTIONS.
CHRIS MARSICANO IS PRESIDENT OF
THE LEAGUE AND OPERATES THE
VILLAGE SUPPER CLUB IN DELAVAN.
SORRY.
HE JOINS US NOW.
CHRIS, THANKS A LOT FOR BEING
HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
APPRECIATE THAT.
>> SO WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE IN
PARTICULAR TO DANE COUNTY'S
RESTRICTIONS ON BARS, BASICALLY
PROHIBITING PEOPLE FROM BEING IN
THEM?
>> WELL, WE UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE
AND WE TAKE IT VERY SERIOUSLY,
THE PROTECTION OF OUR CUSTOMERS,
PROTECTION OF OUR EMPLOYEES.
YOU KNOW, A LOT OF OUR SMALL --
OUR MEMBERS IN THE TAVERN LEAGUE
ESPECIALLY, ARE 5,000 SMALL MOM
AND POP BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS.
AND WE UNDERSTAND THE
SERIOUSNESS OF THE PANDEMIC AND
WHAT IT BRINGS TO OUR
COMMUNITIES.
OUR ASSOCIATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN
VERY INVOLVED IN OUR
COMMUNITIES.
BUT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN
IS THAT OUR PEOPLE CAN'T
SURVIVE.
THESE ARE SMALL INDIVIDUAL
BUSINESSES THAT HAVE FAMILIES TO
FEED, ROOFS TO KEEP OVER THEIR
HEAD.
A LOT OF THESE BARS, ESPECIALLY
IN MADISON, DANE AND MILWAUKEE
HAVE BEEN CLOSED FOR FOUR MONTHS
NOW WITH NO INCOME COMING IN,
YET THE BILLS STILL COME, THE
MORTGAGES, THE RENT, EVERYTHING
ELSE THAT GOES WITH IT.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO FIND A WAY
TO SURVIVE.
IF THE FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL
GOVERNMENT TOLD US TO CLOSE, YOU
KNOW, WE WOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM
WITH THAT AS LONG AS THEY WOULD
SHOW US A WAY TO PAY THE BILLS.
WE HAVE TO PAY THE BILLS.
THE AIRLINES GOT THEIR BAILOUT.
SOME OF THE BIGGER CORPORATIONS
GOT THEIR BAILOUTS.
AND I'M NOT JUST TALKING
PARTICULARLY BARS AND
RESTAURANTS, BUT MAIN STREET
AMERICA HAS NOT GOTTEN THE
BAILOUT THAT WE NEED.
WE'RE ALL ABOUT KEEPING OUR
CUSTOMERS SAFE, OUR EMPLOYEES
SAFE AND OUR FAMILIES SAFE
BECAUSE A LOT OF OUR EMPLOYEES
ARE OUR FAMILIES.
WE'RE LOOKING TO HELP TO STAY
AFLOAT, KEEP OUR HEADS ABOVE THE
WATER.
>> WEREN'T SOME OF THE BAR AND
TAVERN BUSINESSES ELIGIBLE FOR
THE PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM?
>> SOME WERE.
MY BUSINESS IN PARTICULAR, I DID
GET A SMALL PPP LOAN TO HELP ME
ALONG THE WAY.
BUT IT'S BY FAR, WITH THE
RESTRICTIONS ON THE PPP AND SOME
OF THESE SMALL INDIVIDUAL
PLACES, THEY HAVE MAYBE IT'S THE
HUSBAND AND WIFE AND ONE OF THE
KID THAT RUN THE ESTABLISHMENT
OR IT'S JUST A SMALL FAMILY OR
THEY ONLY HAVE ONE OR TWO
EMPLOYEES.
A LOT OF OUR MEMBERS ARE SMALL
ESTABLISHMENTS.
IT JUST DIDN'T WORK FOR THEM.
THEY DIDN'T GET WHAT THEY
NEEDED.
THEY HAVE TO USE IT FOR SO MUCH
IS SET ASIDE.
SOME OF THE ADJUSTMENTS DID HELP
A LITTLE BIT, BUT SO MUCH IS SET
ASIDE FOR THE WAGES AND THAT.
WITH BEING CLOSED, 25%, WE CAN'T
HIRE THESE PEOPLE BACK.
WE CAN'T EMPLOY THAT MANY PEOPLE
TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PPP.
WE NEED THE MONEY FOR OTHER
THINGS, OUR RENT, MORTGAGE
PAYMENTS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT
WHETHER OR NOT THERE WOULD BE
SOME OF THAT KIND OF FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE FORTHCOMING FOR
BUSINESSES LIKE THIS?
>> WELL, WE WOULD HOPE THAT IN
THE COMING MONTHS, THAT THE
LEGISLATURE, WHETHER IT'S STATE
OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WOULD
LOOK AT THAT TO HELP US.
THE LONGER THAT THIS DRAGS ON,
AND AT THIS POINT WHO KNOWS HOW
LONG THIS WILL LAST, AND, YOU
KNOW, WE ARE TRYING TO DO
EVERYTHING WE CAN TO ABIDE BY
THE CDC AND WEDC GUIDELINES.
WE HAVE TOLD OUR MEMBERS FOLLOW
THE GUIDELINES, DUTY SIX FEET
APART, SOCIAL DISTANCING.
MOVE SOME TABLES OUT.
WE ENCOURAGE ALL OF OUR MEMBERS
TO HAVE THEIR EMPLOYEES WEAR THE
MASKS, PUT UP PARTITIONS, WHERE
APPLICABLE.
YOU KNOW, TAKE OFF ALL THE CON
CONDIMENTS.
DO THE THINGS THEY'RE ASKING US
TO DO.
BUT AT 25% OCCUPANCY FOR MADISON
AND DANE AND MILWAUKEE PEOPLE,
IT'S JUST NOT CUTTING IT.
SOME PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME IT'S
JUST -- IT'S BETTER FOR THEM TO
CLOSE RIGHT OUT, YOU KNOW, THAN
TO GO FOR 25% BECAUSE THEY'RE
LOSING MONEY AT 25%.
SO WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT
SOME RELIEF FOR THESE PEOPLE.
WE'RE ALL ABOUT HELPING WITH THE
PANDEMIC AND STEMMING THE CURB
AND FLATTENING IT.
BUT WE NEED HELP TO DO THAT.
WE CANNOT STAY CLOSED AND THEN
-- FOR OVER 100 DAYS, FOUR,
FIVE, SIX MONTHS.
HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO
STRETCH OUT TO?
WE HAVE TO HAVE SOME SMALL
BUSINESS RELIEF, NOT JUST FOR
BARS AND RESTAURANTS, BUT FOR
ALL MAIN STREET.
>> HAVE YOU OR DO YOU EXPECT TO
FILE A LAWSUIT OVER THE DANE
COUNTY ORDER?
>> WE HAVE NOT FILED A LAWSUIT.
WE DON'T EXPECT TO FILE A
LAWSUIT.
LIKE I SAID, WE ARE TRYING TO
WORK WITH OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS,
NOT JUST MADISON, DANE,
MILWAUKEE, BUT ALL AROUND THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN AS DIFFERENT
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, LOCAL AND
COUNTY, ENACT DIFFERENT
STATUTES, ORDINANCES, ADOPTED
FOR THE PROTECTION OF THEIR
PEOPLE IN MOST COUNTIES.
WE HAVE ENCOURAGED OUR PEOPLE TO
GO ALONG WITH THAT AND TO FOLLOW
ALL THE GUIDELINES TO HELP --
LET'S BE PART OF THE SOLUTION OF
THIS PROBLEM AND LET'S HELP STEM
THIS TIDE SO WE CAN GET BACK TO
NORMAL, GET BACK TO WORK.
BUT, AGAIN, I GO BACK TO THE
FACT THAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT
HELPING AND TRY AND GET THIS
DONE, BUT WE CANNOT SURVIVE
WITHOUT SOME KIND OF INCOME AND
I THINK THE STATE, LOCAL AND
FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS NEED TO LOOK
AT SOME TYPE OF HELP FOR MAIN
STREET USA.
OUR BUSINESSES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN
PART OF THE COMMUNITY.
WE ARE VERY INVOLVED IN THE
COMMUNITY.
I KNOW A LOT OF MY MEMBERS, THEY
ARE INTEGRAL IN THE COMMUNITY,
HELPING WITH RAISE CHARITIES, DO
FUND-RAISING.
EVEN DURING THIS PANDEMIC OUR
BUSINESSES HAVE REACHED OUT TO
THE COMMUNITY.
I MYSELF WAS INVOLVED WITH
SEVERAL RESTAURANTS HERE IN
WALWORTH COUNTY FEEDING AROUND
EASTER TIME.
WE WERE FEEDING PEOPLE FOR
EASTER, HANDING OUT HAMS AND
TURKEYS.
THIS IS HAPPENING ALL OVER THE
STATE.
EVEN IN OUR TOUGH TIMES, WE ARE
STILL PART OF THE COMMUNITY.
WE KNOW OUR OTHER COMMUNITY
MEMBERS ARE STRUGGLING.
WE'RE TRYING TO HELP THEM.
SO WE ARE TRYING TO HELP WITH
THE PANDEMIC.
WE ARE TRYING TO HELP.
AND WE ARE ASKING FOR HELP NOW
FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO HELP US
STAY AFLOAT.
>> ALL RIGHT.
CHRIS MARSICANO, WE NEED TO
LEAVE IT THERE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND GOOD
LUCK THROUGH THIS.