More Than 100 Seattle Restaurants Petition Lawmakers for Immediate Relief
As restaurants and bars in Seattle continue to struggle due to COVID-19 measures put in place, many in the industry are attempting to make their voices heard by lawmakers for quick economic relief.
On Monday, a recently-formed coalition of local independent restaurateurs and chefs called Seattle Restaurants United submitted a petition to city, state, and federal officials, asking for a list of policies it feels would be most effective in helping restaurants weather the current storm. The petition was signed by a virtual who’s who in the Seattle food scene, including Renee Erickson, Mutsuko Soma, Edouardo Jordan, Tom Douglas, Chera Amlag, Kristi Brown, Rachel Marshall, Chris and Anu Elford, Brian Canlis, and many others. More than 100 restaurants have signed on so far.
Their main concern is that current efforts by local and federal lawmakers (such as temporary eviction reprieves and and greater access to small business loans) isn’t going to be enough to stop the devastating impact COVID-19 will ultimately have on restaurants. And as Congress continues to debate an expansive relief package, there’s a feeling across the industry that independent restaurateurs have largely been shut out of the national conversation. Seventy-five percent of all independent restaurants in the U.S. that have been temporarily closed to help stop the spread of the coronavirus won’t reopen, according to one recent estimate quoted in the New York Times.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/smallbusiness/more-than-100-seattle-restaurants-petition-lawmakers-for-immediate-relief/ar-BB11BtrX?ocid=hplocalnews