20 THE QUEENS COURIER • QUEENS BUSINESS • AUGUST 13, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
queens business
Restaurant workers call for change and equity in the industry
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com
@QNS
Over 50 local restaurateurs and workers
gathered in Harlem to call for the
state to address concerns in the restaurant
industry.
Many New York City restaurants
are struggling to stay afl oat amid the
COVID-19 pandemic. On Aug. 6, restaurant
workers and owners gathered at
Reverence, a Black-owned restaurant in
Harlem, to enact a symbolic “handshake”
on an agreement for the “Safe and Just
Reopening” plan, a statewide relief policy
that will allow for both workers and
employers to survive and thrive.
Th e Safe and Just Reopening is a fourpart
plan that aims to help restaurants
reopen while creating more equity among
the employees. Th e plan includes the following:
Adoption of One Fair Wage, thus eliminating
the sub-minimum wage for all
New Yorkers — a legacy of slavery and a
source of ongoing racial inequity for restaurant
workersAllowance for tip sharing
with kitchen staff Payroll tax relief for
struggling restaurantsEstablishment of a
5 percent safe reopening surcharge restaurants
can charge if they commit to safe
and equitable protocols
So far a number of restaurant owners
have signed on to support the plan,
including renowned Chef Tom Colicchio
and Danny Meyer. Michael Fuquay, owner
of Th e Queensboro in Jackson Heights,
also signed on to the call.
Alongside partners Tony Liu and
Dudley Stewart, Fuquay has been working
to try and bounce back during the
pandemic.
“Right aft er the shutdown, we decided
to stop takeout and delivery because
it was the most intense in our area of
Queens,” Fuquay said. “We didn’t feel
comfortable bringing our employees into
work and putting them at risk.”
Th e Queensboro was ultimately able to
stay afl oat by providing meals to Elmhurst
Hospital, food pantries, homeless shelters,
schools and other feeding programs
throughout the city. Queens residents saw
what the Queensboro was doing for the
community and ultimately started to give
them money to help the restaurant out
and keep going.
“We were able to keep ourselves going
by mass-producing meals for these feeding
programs,” said Fuquay. “We were
able to get a lot of people fed and because
of the donations, we were able to pay the
bills.”
Th e Queensboro started to shift gears
with the demand for takeout and started
to create daily family meals that were
available for delivery or pickup. When
outdoor dining was cleared for the city,
the Queensboro was able to take advantage
of their corner location and set up
seating. However, Fuquay says that if they
break 50 percent of the pre-pandemic
sales, they’ve had a good week.
For Fuquay, signing on to the Safe and
Just Reopening plan was a no-brainer. In
the early days of opening the Queensboro,
Fuquay toyed with the idea of going in the
direction of no tips for the restaurant.
“Th ere are things about the current system
that don’t work,” Fuquay said. “As
a new restaurant, it was too much of
‘swimming against the stream’ to do what
Danny Meyer did. But the system of tips
and the system of wages doesn’t work well
for workers or restaurants.”
Aft er New York increased the minimum
wage to $15, Fuquay says that a lot of restaurants
had to raise some prices, however
he acknowledged that most people will
still tip the same regardless. Th is raises the
fl oor for how much money a server could
make, but did not change how much
someone working as a cook could make.
“Th e disparity between the front of the
house and back of the house is bigger
than it’s ever been, and there are racial
and gender issues based on who works
where,” Fuquay said. “It’s like we’re valuing
one set of skills highly and not valuing
other skills. Speaking English ends
up being worth more than being able to
perfectly cook a steak. We really want to
emphasize creating more equity — disparity
has always been there but it’s getting
worse.”
For more information, visitwww.fi ghtdontstarve.
com.
Outdoor dining boom in Queens garners mixed reaction
BY ERIN YOON
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
While much has been lost aft er months
of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York
City, something has been gained. And it’s
fi lling the streets with people and good
food.
Much like the rest of the city, Queens
residents have taken to outdoor dining,
fi lling seats in roadside eateries across the
borough. But much like any aspect of the
COVID-19 response, residents have varying
opinions on outdoor dining.
“I like how restaurants are reopening.
Th e idea of outside dining and having
tables out in the streets feels new,” one
diner in Flushing wished to remain anonymous,
told QNS.
For some, the popularity of outdoor
dining has actually become a turn-off .
“Th ings seem like they are back to normal,
but sometimes you have to wait in
line or make reservations to eat outside,”
said another diner, who also requested to
remain anonymous.
While many have claimed to be delighted
and relieved to regain a sense of normalcy
in their lives, others worry that the
continued reopening will lead to another
spike of positive coronavirus tests.
“Being outside feels like I’m getting
freedom, but not all of it. Just because
people are back at work, it does not mean
precautions should be ignored. It irritates
me to see uncovered faces on the street,”
said a Queens teenager who attends the
Bronx High School of Science.
Similarly, restaurant owners and
employees confessed to having mixed
emotions regarding outdoor dining.
La Nueva Amistad, a Colombian bakery
in Flushing, has reported dramatic fl uctuations
in sales following the opening of
phase four.
“Weather changes make sales very
inconsistent,” said Maria, an employee
at La Nueva Amistad who requested her
last name not be used. “We’ve lost a lot
of daily customers and they don’t like it
when it rains.”
Representatives of Blue Bay Diner in
Oakland Gardens describe outdoor dining
as a positive, revolutionary way to
maintain the restaurant.
“Sales have defi nitely gone up. Before,
they were very slow and now they’ve gone
up about 100 percent,” said Chris, an
employee at the diner who also requested
his last name not be used.
Although opinions on reopening were
scattered, all individuals agreed that the
concept of serving and eating meals outdoors
was refreshing.
File photo by Dean Moses
“Phase four has given us an opportunity
to try out outdoor dining, in terms of
decorations and setting up. It’s not a bad
idea, even for aft er the pandemic ends,”
Maria said.
Photo by Jacob Robbins
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