COLUMBUS, Ohio — As COVID-19 cases surge in the state, an Ohio restaurant owner says he feels he doesn't have the option to close with no additional federal aid in sight.
Co-owner of Wolf's Ridge Brewing, Bob Szuter said they closed indoor dining from July to October due to the pandemic. Now, as Franklin County and the state have issued curfews, he's facing an internal struggle about whether to remain open.
"We have no other option. That's counter to our ethos. That's counter to supporting the community in which we live and operate," Szuter said. "We want to do the right thing, but we can't financially take a different path. We've been pushed into this position because there has been no concerted effort from the federal level to help us get through this."
Szuter said he has struggled to make decisions during the pandemic that put the safety of his staff, customers, and community first with what he says are "conflicting" messages from the local, state, and federal government.
"This lack of conviction, lack of a plan, lack of a path forward from any level of government, is increasingly frustrating," he said.
At Wolf's Ridge Brewing, Szuter said they will continue to offer in-person dining and takeout the safest way they know how. Szuter said they've mandated masks, put up physical barriers, and cut capacity for their indoor dining.
"We're going to keep doing that," he said. "We're going to try to create the most safe and appropriate dining experience that we can and we hope our customers respond to that and we're going to keep doing our part to keep this [virus] at bay."
Previously, restaurants and bars qualified for $2,500 in aid through CARES Act funding. Additionally, restaurants and bars should receive dividends from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation by the end of the year.