"A pandemic, terrible though it is, highlights our mutual interdependence in a way that only tragedy can." The restaurant industry is uniquely vulnerable to this kind of crisis, because we rely on so many different actors to converge each day and night: farmers with produce, merchants with wine, guests with healthy appetites. We are proud to provide a sense of community for all the disparate actors who come through our doors. As we monitor the spread of this global pandemic, it has become clear to us that the most responsible thing we can do to serve in the best interest of this community is to close our doors. We do not take this decision lightly or impulsively. We have monitored the spread of this disease in other countries and other markets, and we know that it respects no boundaries and has no creed. To stay open any longer would further jeopardize the health of our staff and our guests. We need strong governmental action to survive this pandemic with our businesses intact. That is why we are urging the mayor to #shutusdown. Doing so properly acknowledges the scale of the current crisis and begins to make available the kind of resources our employees and businesses will require to endure this financial storm. Today's measures make it impossible for us to profitably operate our businesses while failing to properly enforce social distancing. For the time being, we will be offering carry out to ensure that we qualify for any public assistance made available to restaurants forced to close. But we believe that given the scale of the pandemic, this measure is only a temporary fix. We know that early intervention saves lives, and we've already waited too long. We urge our elected leaders to act decisively so that once this historic crisis passes - as it will - we can resume our rightful role at the heart of our communities.
