Another Virus Thread.
 

Now that Florida is going on pretty much lock down, don't forget the servers in restaurant s and bars( well for another 40 minutes 8n in bars as of 5pm today, they will close their doors for at least 30 days) .
Still try and eat out, I went to outback today and was literally the only person in there, one of the servers and the bartender thanked me repeatedly for coming in because the scare has chased so many people away. These are the people who will fall in the cracks. As I sit at another local bar( my club chose not to open today) and I want to support those in my community.. I know I am rambling but my business is basically closed for at least 90 days, but not like my bills will stop. My point is, as long as you can afford to, go out and support your local businesses.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1584477375.jpg

Take care Byron.

sheets gettin' real.

Harris County ( Houston) shut down all bars yesterday for 15 days. Restaurants can stay open only for take out/ delivered food / or drive through. Interviewed several owners last night on TV, it was really bad for them. Many said if it goes more than 15 days they won't make it. others said can't even last 15 days as business had already collapsed and their staff is screwed. Paper indicated around 250K people in the food service industry in Harris County !!

real?
I'd describe it as a foot-race to mass-insanity.

Phoenix has closed down bars and sit downs after 8 pm....
The country is forcing itself into a recession

That is the point, we have to support the little guys who are hurting more than us. I'm luck, I have multiple assets I can sell off it it comes to it, my home is paid off other than a small home equity loan and my most expensive bill is my insurance. Yes, I will ramp up selling off some Porsche bits so I can still go out and support local businesses, but I'm also very susceptible since I have a weak immune system and COPD, but I am not going to let the scare lock me in. Last call at one of the local bars.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1584479044.jpg

Good luck Byron.


People can support small businesses and their employees by ordering delivery. Quite a few places here are switching to take-out and delivery of food.

Byron, what about this idea? Gift cards for future use?

https://wtop.com/business-finance/2020/03/want-to-help-a-local-restaurant-buy-a-gift-card/

Down here on the Island, the majority of our workers are in the service industry, my son included.
Webers Growler Factory
Thanks to Southern Soul BBQ we have a local charity for them, that actually works. I support their events & their annual Firebox Invitational is amazing.
https://ssbbqfirebox.com/mission/?fbclid=IwAR1qYiXN6TRaJXveoDUfqTMFcBaO7q8OzUtK5Nlf o7LdVTVY4Y2ueMsTh94

I have actually done that, I have $100 s 9f dollars in gift cards. I admit, I have a weak spot for the local Outback as a neighborhood friend got it for a wedding present and while in college, I was a prep cook. She no longer owns it but it is still special to me. Out on a bicycle ride and at another local drinking establishment that is listed a restaurant so they can serve. Makes for a good bicycle ride. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1584485724.jpg

I live in a small rural town in the Georgia mountains so almost every business is a small business . Friday is " date night " for my wife and I . Last Friday we went out expecting a ghost town and we were shocked how packed the restaurant was that we went to .

It was nice to see that they were busy and it was obvious they were taking the virus seriously . The manager had 5-6 spray bottles of cleaner on her belt and EVERY server was cleaning when they were not serving . The owner and the manager were making sure all went smoothly .

If over the next few weeks/months we can't physically go to the local restaurants we will order take out as much as possible . Good hard working people need the support . Byron thanks for bringing up the subject .

Great point. Servers and support people are going to be jobless for varying amounts of time. But Gym staff, trainers, massage practitioners, music teachers, housekeepers, caregivers, store clerks; literally everyone at an income level near minimum wage a@d 40 hours or less per week is financially precarious in this weak economy and a pullback could devastate them.

Byron,

Wife and I went to Bono's tonight. We were the only ones there. Tomorrow they will over have the drive-thru open.

Yep, I'm going out tonight for a big steak and fries, a bottle of pinot and a generous tip for my favorite waitress whether she works my table or not.

If it closes for a while (or if I'm gunna die) I want it to be an excellent last night there.

SATWoman and I keep a card on file at our local coffee house which we charge periodically and it burns down as we order. Yesterday before our county issued the shelter in place order we made sure to go over to get a coffee not knowing if they were going to stay open or not. I put $500 on the card which they get access to immediately. Doing what we can. Many of our local eateries can stay open for takeout. No sit down allowed during the order. We plan to increase our instances of “eating out” in this way to support our locals.

Boy I dunno if that is the right approach... it’s nice that you want to support your local establishments and their employees. I typically eat out about 8 - 10 times per week but this week things are different.

What if one of the cooks has Covid-19? They could sure infect a whole lot of people, even with drive thru only.

To each their own but you won’t find me eating out again until this whole thing blows over.

Just got back. The place was surprisingly full. My number one waitress Zoe said she's not sure what is happening, but pleased with how it looked tonight.

And told tenants early in the day not to worry as the man from the bank won't be coming around and to relax. they are a bunch of smart 20 somethings and are self isolating from their friends and work. Working from home style.

What if the cook is + and sneezes or coughs over your food not knowing he's +. Is he going to bin it and cook you a new batch?

So, you don’t plan to leave your house for anything for two to three weeks? Face it, it’s statistical or luck/fate if you believe in that. We’ve also a neighborhood group that is supporting any of our elderly most at risk by volunteering to run minimal necessary errands for them. Many are completely terrified to leave their homes. Sound familiar?

This is risk mitigation and for some, the risk is literally life or death. Obviously we all depend on others making smart choices but, that’s no different in a day to day existence even without the threat of this virus.

They didn't give enough warning, it should have been ramped up over a few days, not overnight notice. All of the 51% bars here are going to have to toss all of their food, and probably any kegs that had been tapped. Lots of bars had stocked heavily for st Patrick's Day, that's all going to be a deficit on their books now. If they had implemented the law over even a day or two, those places would have been able to run firesales, get some income for their inventory, etc.

Also, think of places that rarely sell to go orders, they might have a few Styrofoam boxes around, but that's it. Now, they need a whole new type of inventory to run 100% carry out for the foreseeable future. None of them had the chance to prepare for that, because we had essentially zero notice.

Well it sort of is. The guy standing next you could be deadly and he doesn't know it nor do you. Do you know how your body will react to it if you get it? I don't and I'm not really prepared to find out.

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2020/03/17/lung-scans-covid-19-thirtysomethings-show-scary-picture/

In Florida all restaurants are REQUIRED to check their employees before they come into work.
I woke up with a cough, could be allergies, no fever, and a 1pm doctors appointment.

Go out and support the local bars and restaurants. Just like the college kids who ignore all warnings and go party on Spring break. :rolleyes:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-16/students-on-spring-break-swarm-failing-to-heed-virus-warnings
Brilliant

That was pretty much me last night.

I took the car for a drive, and a local brewery was open, which was weird since it is usually closed on Tuesdays, but they "had" planned on some big St. Patrick's day event.

Cancelled- and they were converting to take out beer only. The door was open, so I walked in (armed with a jacket pocket full of soaking wet hand sanitizers). I was the only person in the whole place and was the last person they were going to serve in house.

I bought the last in house beer and tipped nicely, knowing it wasn't going to be enough. We (an owner and myself) talked about the last week.

Outside, a local vendor had bought (something like $5-10k?- I don't recall) worth of extra food for the recent events/ St Patty's day/ several concerts, which were all cancelled. He's a very talented cook, and employees a number of people. He was converting to take out, but again, no one there, with a staff and a S#$ load of fresh food that needs to be cooked.

My wife had ordered food from another restaurant, which I was to pick up, but to support the local vendor, I bought an entire second dinner for myself there, and tipped him even more.

When I got to my wife's restaurant to pick up the first dinner, I was the only person there as well, so I tipped them even more.

Next store, I went into a local winery and bought several bottles just to support them. I usually pick up about one bottle a week. I grabbed four. Again, only person there.

Seeing each place change so much was devastating. I took the same angle, do what I can while I can, knowing, it wasn't enough. I could not eat or drink enough to keep even one of these places going, let alone four places. Quite frankly, I wan't too keen on ordering food to go from these places either, but I couldn't not do anything.

That's not including a local bike shop, where I had considered going in just to buy something to help out, but in jest with the owner at the brewery, I commented "What the hell am I going to do? buy an innertube? It won't keep him going."

My profession (dentistry) has been relegated to emergency only care. It's been very touch and go this week. Pretty much all dental hygienists are not working. There is not enough to cover overhead. I told my boss to let the staff get my proceeds. It hasn't come to that quite yet, but will be there soon.

You misunderstood me. Day to day we trust people to make smart choices as there are a myriad of ways to end up room temperature in our society. So, as I do any other day, I am trusting others to make smart choices in their lives to reduce the risk.

I’m not an “every man for himself” kind of guy. I’ll help others till the bitter end and if that means exposing myself a bit more than a person with an FU personality then so be it.

Unfortunately most people are a-holes in situations like this so we can't trust anybody. The other problem is our governments are talking rubbish, compared to three Asian nations that are doing better per capita than both our countries.

Byron's theme song (from 4:25 on) - NSFW, obviously. :D

<iframe width="656" height="369" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bGV1xYJFAEI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Original gives me a wet spot in my trousers. 30 years old almost.

I think they did it on purpose. They knew how much interaction would occur on St. Patrick's Day.

Well I went to multiple bars and restaurants today, not much of a crowd.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1584583355.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1584583355.jpg

I'm going to pretend that I didn't just hear you say that Turner and Hidalgo "planned" anything, which would have required "thought", which would have required "working brains".

:p

Essentially. Was 12 hour notice in Phoenix. On Tuesday I went for a drive at 9. Up the street tap house was packed. Today seems to be more serious.... I don't understand this thought process. But whatever. Maybe this will get the carpet baggers out of AZ.

I spoke to my mom on Tuesday and she made the observation that this is the second time in her life people have been asked to isolate themselves. The first time was the polio epidemic. I’m sure there were non-believers then too.

I well remember the polio epidemic of 1955-56 and it scared the hell out of everyone. when the Salk Vaccine became available the whole town (pop. of around 2000 turned out en mass over the weekend to get vaccinated. No anit-vaxxers then,

For those of you not familiar with polio epidemics, they hit kids mostly... and many ended up in "iron lungs" and permanently paralyzed..

I remember that. My mom was terrified. I recall wanting to go out on a hot day and play under the sprinkler hose. Mom said no because cold water would give us polio. :eek:

Coronavirus Florida: Governor closes all restaurants and gyms
Making my final rounds today .
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2020/03/20/coronavirus-florida-governor-bans-all-restaurant-dining-orders-gyms-to-close/?outputType=amp#aoh=15847326295019&referrer=https% 3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s

How to help bartenders

https://www.liquor.com/covid-19-affect-bartenders-4800152?utm_campaign=liquor_consumer&utm_medium=em ail&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_content=19770900&utm_term =

The restaurant closings are huge. I am personally affected; have a sales force of 10 that sell about over 25 million yearly to restaurants. These restaurants employ servers, cooks, dishwashers hostesses. The restaurants need electricians, heating and air contractors, marketing specialist, propane, internet, beverage distributors, pest control, landscaping contractors, etc. make no mistake, the closing of restaurants is no small “ thing”. The ripple effect will send waves through the economy for a long time.
The whole food industry, how we eat and how we interact may very well change forever. Once this is all “ better” the stigma of public gatherings and sub 6’ interaction will remain for embedded into our minds.
I understand and support the decision the “ shut it down” NOW. The pain will be real..lives will be changed...industries will be transformed.
We need to make smart decisions and do our part to minimize the potential of spreading this virus. Hand washing, social distancing, and common sense will be paramount in the coming weeks.

Support your local restaurants with take out. Help them and help us all.