WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES APRIL 2, 2020 17
Neir’s Tavern temporarily closes due to COVID-19
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Historic Neir’s Tavern is temporarily
closing due to the
nationwide social distancing
guidelines getting extended to the end
of April in order to prevent the further
spread of COVID-19.
“Today, as the owner New York
City’s oldest bar and grill, I fall back
on my 10-year principle people
over profit,” said Loycent Gordon,
the owner of the 191-year-old restaurant
located on 87-48 78th St. in
Woodhaven.
Tuesday, March 31 (or what many
know as Takeout Tuesday) will be
their last operating day until the
social distancing mandate is lifted.
Gordon said that his business
diligently worked to transition to
the statewide takeout and delivery
model by using online ordering, online
gift cards, foregoing all owner
salary, and almost immediately
created a GoFundMe page for their
staff — which raised $5,000 in less
than a week.
But Gordon believes that as the virus
continues to spread, remaining
open under the mandated structure
may still cause undue risk to his staff
and guests, and jeopardize the longterm
viability “of the Neir’s Tavern
we know and love.”
“I’ve fought for Neir’s Tavern for
over 11 years and if this closure
saves one life, then it’s worth it to
throw away 190 years of continuous
operation,” Gordon said. “We have
entered into a new paradigm.”
Gordon added that with the money
raised through GoFundMe and government
assistance they can apply
for, they will keep staff on payroll as
long as possible “so they have nothing
to worry about.”
“I am a socially conscious entrepreneur
that understands I can rebuild
a business, but I cannot rebuild a
life,” Gordon said.
He hopes his fellow local
businesses will do the same.
“I call on the local business community
to evaluate your own personal
situation to ensure the present business
climate and mandated business
model aligns with your values,”
Gordon said.
Gordon is also calling for delivery
apps to work with local restaurants.
Last week, he advocated for Uber
Eats and other delivery apps to
be transparent with the messages
they’re sending to restaurant owners
during this pandemic.
A fellow local business owner felt
cheated aft er he found he was still
charged a 30 percent commission fee
in his weekly report from Uber Eats,
even though he thought that fee would
be waived aft er seeing the news that
Uber Eats and other delivery apps
like Grubhub announced changes to
their conditions to assist struggling
restaurants during this time.
“I call on delivery apps to work
with local restaurants you’ve built a
billion-dollar business on the backs
of,” he said. “I will continue to evaluate
any socially conscious role Neir’s
Tavern may play to feed our frontline
workers fighting this pandemic
and those in our community unable
to buy food for their families during
this inevitable depression.”
The exterior of Neir’s Tavern in 2016.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user The Whistling Monkey
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