Coronavirus Stranglehold On Local Restaurants Has Only Just Begun

MELROSE, MA — The Turners saw it coming.

Turner's Seafood announced on Facebook Sunday afternoon it would be suspending in-house dining in favor of takeout-only at its Melrose, Salem and Gloucester locations. A few hours later, Gov. Charlie Baker forced the same restriction on every restaurant in Massachusetts.

"It's much better to be ahead of this curve than behind it, which is why we made the decision earlier [Sunday,]" Kathi Turner said.

Kathi and Jim Turner, who also run The Rising Eagle in Melrose, are among the largest employers in the city with some 130 workers. Now they don't know how much longer they'll be able to pay them.

"It's a lot of people to be responsible for," Kathi Turner told Patch over the phone. "We want to make sure we have enough cash in hand to support those that we need to."

In the blink of an eye, that's become the chief concern for hundreds of thousands of independently owned restaurants across the country. The new coronavirus has brought American life to a grinding halt — and its dragging the economy along with it.

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The question isn't just whether small- and medium-sized restaurants will be able to temporarily weather the storm — it's whether customers will ever have the chance to visit their favorite dining spots again.

"This is an unprecedented time for operators, employees and customers," Stephen Clark, vice president of the Massachusetts Restaurant Associated, said in a statement. "The past few days have been some of the most stressful and anxiety-ridden days out industry has faced in recent memory and possibly ever.

"There is no blue-print for what we are all dealing with, but I am confident that we are the most resilient industry regardless of the challenges throwing at us and I know we will all come out on the other side of this."

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Not every restaurant will see that other side. If Turner's, which over the last couple decades has carved out a secure spot in the North Shore seafood industry, can't be sure of what comes next, how can a small breakfast diner or a new pizza shop hope to survive?

"A situation like this can easily turn a self-made, small business dream quickly into the risks of bankruptcy," Tim LaPrade, who owns Jitters Cafe in Melrose, said. "The food industry is going to have one of the biggest impacts because of everything going on."

LaPrade said that in between deep-cleaning "every inch" of his cafe in any downtime his staff has, the harsh reality rings clear.

"As of now, I'm trying to keep the schedule the same and everyone on payroll ... But if this dining restriction continues for a month or two, most places aren't going to be able to continue to staff how they used to," he said. "Employees will begin losing shifts and then they'll have trouble paying their own bills. There's no worse feeling as an owner as having to tell employees you don't have the money to pay them and now they can't pay their bills."

It's the same fear most restaurant owners face right now.

The state has taken measures to help soften the blow. Baker on Monday announced a $10 million small business recovery loan fund to help businesses hit hard by the disruption. Loans of up to $75,000 are available immediately for businesses with less than 50 employees and no payments will be due for the first six months.

But it's not a get of jail free card, LaPrade said.

"So even if they help us [through] this time, now we have to spend the summer just trying to pay back that loan," he said. "If we choose to get assistance, taking out that loan would impact us for a lot longer than these dining restrictions. I'm basically taking this situation day by day with any type of plan."

The community will have a part to play in keeping these businesses afloat as long as they can. Restaurants — like Turner's — are rushing to institute online ordering and curbside-pickup. Jitter's already has it.

And if customers don't feel comfortable ordering out, they can still buy gift cards as a show of support, according to Lauren Grymek, executive director of Melrose's Chamber of Commerce.

"The Chamber will be working with our restaurant members, as well as other chamber members, to help promote their services, products and offerings during this time," Grymek said, noting her retail members are going through a similarly grim time.

The math says that anything short of an avalanche of gift cards and takeout orders will fail to make up for the downturn in business, especially with how long officials are warning COVID-19 could stick around. Customer volume at Turner's had already been cut in half — and that was before the takeout-only order was issued Sunday and the White House finally came to grips with the severity of the situation.

"When you drop to that volume you're not sure if you're even covering payroll," Jim Turner said.

"Were working like crazy here to keep the places operation at some reduced level," he continued. "How this effects all the employees and everything, no one's quite figured it out. We're just praying to God this is a short-lived issue."

Visit Turner's online.

Visit Jitter's online.

Learn how you can support business in Melrose | How to contact Melrose businesses