Page 12 - BusinessWest February 3, 2021

Editorial
RT e s t a u r a n t s N e e d O u r S u p p o r t
he story of restaurants during the pandemic has not ated $18.7 billion in sales in 2018, while employing almost 350,000 been a good one. workers. Meanwhile, every dollar spent on table-service dining
While that may be the most obvious of observations, contributes $1.87 to the state economy. And in a place like Hamp- it’s still important to keep at the forefront of any discussion of this shire County, where restaurants are such a key part of the culture
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industry — because restaurateurs will spin the past year as posi- tively as they can. “We discovered a strong market for takeout.” “Outdoor dining was an unexpected success we’ll stick with.” “Our loyal customers tell us they can’t wait to dine out again.”
But don’t confuse those sentiments — which testify to the grit and resourcefulness of the region’s many dining establishments
— with good news. There is no good news. Among the restaurant owners we spoke with for this issue, total sales over the past year have been significantly curtailed — in some cases halved, or worse.
Yes, they’ve done what they could to hang onto their dedicated staffs, with much-appreciated help from Paycheck Protection Pro- gram loans and state and local grants. And the pivots they made — one told us it was like opening a new restaurant every week — are admirable, as they were willing to change menus on the fly, install takeout and delivery, set up outdoor dining, and take any number of other steps to survive.
Some have not. And even among those that have, no one had a good year, and some are hanging by a thread. That 25% indoor capacity restriction, however needed to keep people safe, is just not going to cut it through a New England winter. That 9:30 p.m. curfew, only recently lifted, might pose an inconvenience to cus- tomers, but for a restaurant owner, those extra hours could be the difference between paying their bills and ... well, not.
The economic impact on the region is massive; according to the Massachusetts Restaurant Assoc., the Bay State’s restaurants gener-
Opinion
and economy of Northampton, Easthampton, Amherst, and other communities, the damage of 2020 — which is clearly extending into 2021 — is even more dire.
A Pioneer Institute report lists a few steps local and state govern- ments can make to ease the strain a little, from allowing alcoholic- beverage takeout and delivery on a permanent basis to allowing restaurants to sell fresh produce, meats, and other whole foods during the pandemic to compete with grocery stores; from pri- oritizing local permitting for food trucks owned by restaurants to allowing outdoor seating in parking lots and on sidewalks, as hap- pened last summer in downtown Northampton.
But none of these steps, or the pivots restaurants have already made, will solve the main issue — that, even at reduced capacity, diners aren’t filling tables right now, and might not until they feel it’s safe, and that gets into vaccine distribution, a whole other story.
In the meantime, why not do what you can? Order more take- out. Buy more gift cards. Sit down for a meal if you feel safe doing so; area restaurants have been transparent about their sanitiza- tion procedures. And, once the COVID fog lifts and restaurants can open more fully, support them as much as possible.
The loss of more restaurants in Western Mass. would be a blow to our economy and a culture that values good food. But mostly, it would be a blow to some good, smart people who are tired of piv- oting — but continue to do so, just to stay alive. v
Priority Should Be Economic Recovery
BTy Chris Geehern
he unprecedented upheaval of
2020 will change the way we
live and work for years to come, says John Regan, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM).
Regan punctuated his annual State of Massachusetts Business Address with a
call for state policymakers to support the recovery of an economy that remains frag- ile in the wake of the ongoing public-health crisis.
“Hundreds of thousands of our friends and neighbors in Massachusetts remain out of work because of the pandemic. Many have left the workforce altogether,” Regan said during a virtual speech to
the AIM Executive Forum. “Addressing
the COVID crisis by shutting down the economy again and impeding the ability of people to support their families is not a solution. Neither is imposing Draconian tax increases to address the state’s fiscal issues on the backs of businesspeople try- ing to keep people employed amid perma- nent, structural changes to the way we live and work.”
Regan noted that the unprecedented convergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, a
cataclysmic recession, and a reckoning on racial equity combined to alter the econ- omy, the workplace, healthcare, manufac- turing supply chains, and transportation. It affected schools, government, family life, shopping patterns, the housing market, race relations, and social interactions.
The upheaval has accelerated ongoing seismic shifts in the nature of the work- place, Regan noted. “What the e-commerce revolution did for physical stores, the tele- presence revolution could do for office- adjacent employment. Some of the reper- cussions are positive — less traffic in major urban areas, more flexibility for workers, and expanded opportunities for employers to hire talented people virtually anywhere.”
The bad news? “Cities like Boston that have thrived on proximity-driven innova- tion and community intellectual energy could see that energy dissipate as com- panies accelerate the move toward virtual operations,” he said. “Given the OK to go remote, workers may use their freedom to move to cheaper metros where they can afford more space, inside and outside.”
Four distinguished economic experts offered commentary about which changes generated by the pandemic might be last-
ing. Pamela Everhart of Fidelity Invest- ments, Edward Glaeser of Harvard Uni- versity, Dr. Lee Schwamm of Mass General Brigham, and Nada Sanders of North- eastern University said the nature of any long-term structural economic shifts will become evident only after governments moderate the spread of the pandemic.
Regan said AIM and its 3,300 members look forward to working with state and fed- eral leaders to craft a long-term economic recovery for the Commonwealth.
“Massachusetts businesses have responded responsibly to the pandemic by prioritizing their employees and custom- ers, investing in workplace-safety proto- cols, adapting operations to ensure compli- ance with business-specific requirements, and finding creative ways to offer services and goods while remaining operational,” Regan said. “Businesses prioritized these things because this is what our businesses do. They invest, they change, and they adapt. These are the qualities that have made Massachusetts an economic leader for decades.” v
Chris Geehern is executive vice president of Associated Industries of Massachusetts.
12 FEBRUARY 3, 2021
EDITORIAL
BusinessWest