Editorial
Time to deliver for NYC eateries
Before COVID-19, we New Yorkers
took for granted the tens of thousands
of restaurants and bars that
dot our landscape. They are one of the most
productive parts of our city’s economy, yet
also the most fragile.
The pandemic has wreaked havoc over
the industry, and the sector is on the verge
of collapse. Lost business and high, overdue
rents are decimating businesses and
livelihoods — and the simple fact is that
not enough has been done to save them.
New York City had more than 23,000
restaurants employing over 300,000 New
Yorkers before our world changed in March
with the arrival of the fi rst confi rmed
coronavirus case. Capacity restrictions
and “pause” orders followed, and suddenly
indoor dining — or even just a drink at a
bar — was off-limits to everyone.
Bars shuttered, and restaurants either
worked to brave the economic storm with
delivery or take-out options, or not at all.
Some eateries would reopen once outdoor
dining was permitted in June; others could
last long enough to make it.
Other eateries clung, for an entire summer,
to the thread of hope that indoor
dining would resume. It fi nally happened
on Sept. 30 — but at a quarter of normal
capacity. For many restaurant owners, it
was too little, way too late, and they closed
for good.
Last week State Comptroller Thomas
DiNapoli released a report which projected
that over the next year, New York City
could lose more than 12,000 restaurants/
bars and up to 159,000 jobs in the entire
industry.
The New York City Hospitality Alliance’s
recent survey found that up to 90%
of respondents said they were behind on
their rent, or couldn’t afford to pay all
of it.
Our economy will be devastated if we
allow restaurants to fail en masse.
We could again request federal help,
and we need it. Unfortunately, it appears
a change in leadership in the White House
and Senate is required before small business
owners in New York City receive any
new relief.
But the state and city, cash-strapped
as they are, must fi nd a way to rescue the
restaurant industry — such as with new
grants and easing of taxes and fees.
And for those of us who can afford to
dine out or order delivery, let’s do business
with our restaurants — and leave a great tip
for the workers who need help, too.
Op-ed
Time to bring
back the NYC we
know and love
BY PAUL J. MASSEY JR.
As I sat collecting my thoughts on
the eve of the 19th anniversary of
the Sept.11, 2001 attacks on our
nation, I could not help but recognize how
New York City (NYC) has changed since
2001: mostly for the better, rarely for the
worse. What struck me most is how, on
that fateful day, 19 years ago, New Yorkers
came together in ways I did not, at that
time, expect was likely. During the days
and months which followed, we New Yorkers
cried together, mourned together, but
most importantly, we rebuilt NYC together.
I cannot help but draw parallels from that
time to today: particularly refl ecting on how,
during the past six months, we New Yorkers
have come together in many ways similar to
the ways in which we came together then.
Specifi cally, I’ll always remember how New
Yorkers came together every night at 7 p.m.
to revere the essential workers who, without
thinking of themselves, went to work every
day to care for the tens of thousands of men
and women dying from a virus, the pervasiveness
of which we have never known. And how
New Yorkers have come together in peace to
protest the inequity experienced by our Black
neighbors, friends and family members.
The New York I know is one of generosity,
one of compassion, one of kindness.
Sure, we are thick-skinned and tough, but
when we New Yorkers are in need, we pick
each other up, raise each other’s’ spirits and
promote the rebuilding of the greatest city
in the world into something even greater
than it once was. d.
The New York that I know is chock
full of bustling street vendors with lines
halfway around the block, serving coffee
PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
to millions of sleepy-eyed professionals just
arriving to their respective offi ces early in
the morning. The New York that I know
has the omnipresent, controlled chaos of its
auto traffi c venturing through each street
and each avenue from dusk to dawn.
The New York that I know, however,
is not the New York that I am currently
experiencing. Many of NYC’s offi ces are
still closed, and, as a result, our street
carts are not being regularly frequented.
Our neighbors have chosen to retreat to the
beaches and mountains, so our roads are
empty and quiet. Our friends are working
from home, so our favorite weekday watering
holes either stay open with few patrons
or are forced to close forever.
In this regard, I call on all New Yorkers
to rally and assist in re-igniting the machine
that is indelibly NYC. I call upon our politicians
to reach across the aisle to establish
a plan to swiftly – but in the safest way
– re-open our roads, our restaurants and
our bars. I call upon our business leaders to
safely (respecting protocols), re-open their
offi ces to allow their workforce to breathe
new life into our city and get back to what
we once were, even if it’s in little strides.
And, I call upon our neighbors to come
back to NYC from wherever they were temporarily
located, to safely, reintegrate into
our society. I fully recognize that returning
to the city or to the work environment, at
the moment, may not be practical or possible
for every single one of us.
It’s time to return to the NYC that we all
know – and let’s do it with New York-style
unity.
Paul J. Massey, Jr. is a Founding Partner
and Chief Executive Offi cer of B6 Real
Estate Advisors.
Publisher of The Villager, Villager Express, Chelsea Now,
Downtown Express and Manhattan Express
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