Last week, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo made his move to try and crush the remaining independent hospitality businesses in his state – by banning indoor dining in New York City. State officials attempted to justify this draconian move by claiming that there was a “second wave” of coronavirus infections, and that this was leading to ‘increased hospitalizations.’ However, the real data shows that overall hospitalizations are at, or below, similar levels from this time last year in December 2019.
Cuomo’s authoritarian move has delivered a deadly blow to the state’s already struggling restaurant industry. When pressed on the issue, New York’s governor has adhered to a bizarre, anti-science party line, and has consistently shown no sympathy for the tens of thousands of small businesses in his state, effectively telling them, to ‘deal with it.’
One New York City restauranteur, Rocco Sacramone, owner of Trattoria l’incontro on 31st Street in Astoria, decided to get creative and posted a video on his restaurant’s Instagram page, where he was dining outside in the middle of a snow storm with his last few surviving employees. The video went viral. Sacramone has since created a Gofundme page for his workers, many of whom are now unable to return to their jobs.
In this interview, host Jason Chaffetz speaks with Sacramone who describes what he’s going through with indoor dining shut down and weighs-in on his few remaining options going forward. Watch:
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