DON'T FEAR THE REAPER? Death Comes for Surviving Small Businesses

By Aceross Lord @ Shutterstock.com

COVID-19 shutdowns pushed by politicians gone wild with emergency power were the death knell for many small businesses in America. Now, led by Mayor Bill De Blasio of New York City, the burden of vaccine mandates could be the Grim Reaper for those businesses tenacious enough to survive 2020.

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De Blasio has mandated that all employees and customers of restaurants in NYC show proof of vaccination. This will cause chaos as employees are fired or quit, and customers remain home. Not to mention the employ time spent on checking “vaccine passports” rather than actually serving customers.

The Daily Mail reports on the hesitancy of restaurant owners to become involuntarily deputized members of the vaccine police:

‘If you ask the customer for proof that they had the vaccine, then you’re going to have a lot of problems,’ Jose Amigon, 56, the general manager of Paul’s Da Burger Joint in the East Village, told DailyMail.com.

‘People get mad, angry, upset.’

Amigon, who says he lost 25 relatives to COVID-19, said that he has had to call the police on several occasions during the pandemic after rowdy customers refused his request to wear a mask.

In one instance, a customer slammed his fist and cracked the plastic partition shield that he put up in front of the cash register.

Another customer angry over the request to wear a mask spit on the partition. Amigon said that another customer threw an object at him.

While he’s pleased that the city is taking steps to boost vaccination rates, Amigon said there’s a risk that the move could backfire since customers who haven’t gotten the shot could take their business elsewhere.

‘If you ask customers if they had the vaccine, they’ll get offended,’ he said. ‘One hundred percent.’

‘So we’re gonna have a lot of problems when [the new policy] comes.’

‘I get scared because sometimes people get very aggravated,’ Amigon continued.

‘Some people don’t want to do the vaccine. Some people don’t want to wear masks.’

Amigon said that all of his co-workers have gotten vaccinated. As general manager, he is responsible for a staff of six people.

During the pandemic, the restaurant stayed open and made deliveries as there was no indoor, in-person dining. But the tourists were nowhere to be found.

As a result, Paul’s Da Burger Joint lost 70 percent of its business, Amigon said.

He said the restaurant managed to survive through phone and online orders – barely.

Now Amigon said he is ‘very scared’ about what the future holds, as the Indian Delta variant has sent case numbers surging.

Complicating factors is the reluctance of hospitality workers to return to their jobs.

Amigon said that government benefits surpass the paychecks they received while working.

One of his biggest fears now is that unvaccinated customers will be put off by the new mandate.

Action Line: If you live in a city or state where politicians don’t recognize your right to pursue your livelihood, it’s time to look for a better America today.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.