3 Things NYC Can Do To Help Restaurants Recover Now
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The coronavirus pandemic continues to challenge New York City’s restaurants and BBQ joints on many fronts. Some restaurants have already closed for good and many are still hanging on by a thread.
While the federal government has offered some relief with programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program and tax credits like the Employee Retention Tax Credit, for a lot of NYC restaurants, that’s not enough. More creative solutions must be sought on the local level to give restaurants and BBQ joints a boost.
Here are three things New York City could do quickly to help provide relief to local restaurants that are struggling right now.
A recent widely circulated receipt from Grubhub shows how much of a cut it can take from sales.
Cap Fees on Third-Party Apps
While third-party apps such as Grubhub, UberEats, and DoorDash are popular, many customers don’t realize how much they charge restaurants for their services. As much as 30 percent of the sales can end up going to the apps, leaving the restaurants with basically no profit from the sale.
Fees from these apps have already been capped at 15 percent in cities such as D.C., San Francisco, and Seattle. New York should follow suit and cap them at 10 to 15 percent. A bill to create the cap will be voted on at the next City Council meeting, which is planned to take place on May 13.
New York needs more open outdoor spaces for people to eat takeout and for restaurants to offer seating.
Open More Outdoor Spaces
Many NYC diners will not feel comfortable dining in close proximity to others this summer. One solution to help restaurants is to open up more outdoor and sidewalk space for dining so people can socially distance themselves. To accomplish this, the city could choose to waive fees for “sidewalk cafes” and could close more streets to cars in order to use more space for outdoor seating.
New Jersey's DRJ Catering has helped feed those in need in partnership with Operation BBQ Relief.
Pay Restaurants to Feed the Hungry
Another way to help restaurants now is to use public funds that are meant to feed the homeless and hungry and pay restaurants in need to cook those meals. Instead of third-party contractors, the city could use established restaurants to prepare meals that can help fight food insecurity.
The excellent organization Operation BBQ Relief has already created a model of sorts, where it has paid 12 restaurants to hire back workers in order to feed communities in need around the country. OBR has served more than 800,000 meals to those affected by COVID-19 to date. Large cities like NYC would be wise to look at this type of model that can help both restaurants and those in need.
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These are just a few things that can be done now, and hopefully, the city will do even more. Get in touch with your NYC Council members and tell them you want them to help your local restaurants and BBQ joints now.
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT
Here are the top BBQ and related food news stories you need to know about this week:
The “ripper" hot dogs from Rutt’s Hut made the list of best takeout dishes in New Jersey.
New Jersey food writer Pete Genovese has compiled a great list of the 21 best N.J. dishes are available right now for takeout. The list includes rippers (fried hot dogs) with relish and mustard at Rutt's Hut in Clifton, the double cheeseburger with onions at White Manna in Hackensack, and the barbecue chicken at 28 BBQ in Bound Brook.
Gothamist’s Scott Lynch recently profiled the NYC treasure Roll n Roaster, which has been serving “hot and cheezy” roast beef sandwiches for 50 years in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. The restaurant is still slinging its sandwiches (and more) for takeout during the pandemic.
Local pig farmers in nearby Pennsylvania are providing about 90,000 pounds of pork to Feeding Pennsylvania, an organization that “promotes and aids member food banks across PA.” The pork will go to nine food banks around the state.
When the pandemic ends and people can travel freely around New York State, be sure to check out the 13 iconic Upstate New York restaurants, including Brooks House of BBQ in Oneonta, Anchor Bar in Buffalo, and Lupo’s S&S Char Pit in Binghamton.
IRL BBQ
NOTE: Given the coronavirus crisis, I will be leaving this section blank for the next few weeks. Some events have been canceled entirely while others have been postponed to the summer or fall. Many events during the next two to three months are now up in the air, but I’ll be doing my best to keep the website up to date with events that are confirmed.
Check out the full up-to-date NYC BBQ calendar here.
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