Chelsea businesses called to participate
in campaign to boost their business
following COVID-19
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
As New York City continues to
rebuild amid the pandemic,
a new outreach program is
emerging to help businesses in Chelsea
bounce back.
The Greenwich Village Chelsea
Chamber of Commerce (GVCCC) is
partnering with the All In NYC program,
a citywide revitalization effort
dedicated to boosting businesses, to
start All In Chelsea, a month-long
campaign meant to promote Chelsea
businesses that are struggling following
the pandemic.
From Oct. 1-31, those that participate
in All In Chelsea will have
their businesses featured on All in
NYC and All in Chelsea websites
and social media platforms in an
effort to draw more attention and
bring new customers to the business.
The posts will highlight the
business’s services and products
while connecting you to resources
that GVCCC can offer to help your
business.
Businesses that participate in All
In Chelsea will be encouraged to
host specials and deals during the
campaign, such as Buy One, Get
One offers or discounts on a future
purchase. Mastercard will support
the All In NYC program through
a robust digital media campaign
and statement credit offers from
qualifying businesses.
All In Chelsea is free for any
business to participate. Those who
are interested in participating in
the campaign can fi ll out an intake
form, which is available in our story
at amny.com. PHOTO BY TERESE LOEB KREUZER
Chelsea Piers on the Hudson River.
City Council approves surcharge to help NYC
restaurants recoup COVID-19 losses
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Struggling restaurants in New York
City may soon be able to institute a
surcharge to diners to help recoup
some of the losses they and workers suffered
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The City Council approved on Sept. 16
legislation (Intro. 823) that would enable
all New York City restaurants to institute
a 10% surcharge on each bill which would
remain in effect until 90 days after all eateries
are cleared to reopen at full capacity.
Some advocates expressed concern that
the temporary surcharge would cut into
tips left by customers for restaurant waiters,
cooks and other staff. In response, City
Council Speaker Corey Johnson announced
a commitment to address low-wage restaurant
workers through future legislation and
action.
Johnson directed his staff to formulate
short-term bills to fi nancially protect restaurant
workers while also committing to
legislation that would make the surcharge
permanent.
“I also think it’s important that we focus
on helping out low-wage workers in these
restaurants,” Johnson said during the stated
meeting on Sept. 16. “All of my colleagues,
The City Council approved a temporary surcharge that restaurants may bill to
customers to help recoup some of their losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I believe, share that vision and goal, and
I’m committed to working on legislation, to
go to Albany and to do whatever we need
to do to make sure … that we’re not leaving
behind low-wage workers.”
The speaker’s offi ce later announced that
Johnson would support legislation to make
the restaurant surcharge permanent with
various worker protection conditions.
Staten Island City Councilman Joe
Borelli sponsored the temporary surcharge
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
legislation, which passed the City Council
46-2 on Sept. 16. Queens City Councilwoman
Adrienne Adams and Brooklyn
City Councilman Brad Lander were the
lone votes against the item.
Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair
Wage, expressed hope that the City Council
would follow through with legislation to
benefi t restaurant workers impacted by the
pandemic.
“Today, in passing a temporary
surcharge without worker protections,
the Council did not address the needs of
hundreds of thousands of restaurant workers
whose tips will be negatively impacted
by the surcharge,” Jayaraman said. “We
are hopeful, however, that by Speaker
Corey Johnson committing to introducing
a follow-up bill which would make the
surcharge permanent conditioned upon
protecting workers, the City Council can
charter a better path forward – one in
which we protect public health with indoor
dining while ensuring that both workers
and the businesses where they work can
survive this pandemic.”
Jayaraman noted that most tipped restaurant
workers were barely surviving on
a sub-minimum wage, and the situation
only became exacerbated once restaurants
closed during the pandemic. The restoration
of outdoor dining has helped put
many of them back to work, but they’re
still struggling to make ends meet.
“The surcharge is a good idea. But it
won’t work if the restaurants that apply
the surcharge aren’t paying their workers
a minimum wage, as it would have cut
into the already-reduced customer tips of
these same workers who are already facing
fi nancial catastrophe,” Jayaraman added.
Schneps Media Sept. 24, 2020 3
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