Los Angeles imposed coronavirus restrictions on restaurants, bars, gyms and other businesses on March 15, 2020. It was the beginning of a year of loss, upheaval and constant adaptation.
But the longtime Mexican restaurant caught a few breaks: It received a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan to help keep workers on the payroll, and it had a parking lot it could use as an outdoor dining area. The Lares family owns the Santa Monica building that houses the restaurant, protecting it from the rent obligations that sunk so many others.“The fact that we can sell our delicious margaritas to go was huge,” said waitress Martha Lares, 43. “That’s where the money is.
With no patio for outdoor drinks or distancing, the bar didn’t have many options. The first six weeks of closure alone brought $100,000 in losses, owner Bruce Beach said. The business later qualified for a $125,000 PPP loan, but coronavirus restrictions prevented it from reopening in time to spend the money, which Beach now has to return.
The company is looking to reopen and operate Billingsley’s once rules allow indoor seating at 50% capacity.“If you didn’t have cash, they pointed you across the street to the bank,” co-owner Shelli Azoff said. Her in-laws, the locally prominent Gonda family, own the business and are committed to keeping it running. They’ve also lent the eatery next door, John O’Groats, space for outdoor dining, a big help when pandemic restrictions slashed revenue there by half.Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times. Every day, parents call director Tamar Andrews begging for a spot.
This month, Los Angeles began mandating temporary $5-an-hour bonuses for essential workers. The grocery industry has pushed back, saying its margins are too thin to keep wages up. Mr. C received a $1.5-million PPP loan and is obliged by city regulations to rehire Lezama once demand picks up again.April 2020 was supposed to be the debut month for one of last year’s biggest restaurant openings, from the couple behind the celebrated Republique.sits empty — menu after menu scrapped as the seasons change. Chef and co-owner Walter Manzke said he is ready to “move fast” to open now that limited-capacity indoor dining is allowed again.
Edelson, who took over the club from founder Jewel Thais-Williams in 2015, leaned on his event-planning background and a $150,000 PPP loan to keep the business going. She’s gotten vaccinated but is still holding off on performing cleansing rituals. “She internalizes when she does that, taking the bad energy out of people,” Ponce explained, and there are too many bad vibes to go around these days.saw only an eighth of its average yearly visitors in 2020. Annual revenue fell to $13.9 million from $33.8 million. But new uses have sprung up for its big spaces.
The top seller in 2020 was a new streetwear line: sheer mesh tops, fishnet skater skirts and faux leather belts.early morning, grabbing coffee and a bite before starting their shifts at factory jobs in the adjoining building. Now they line up for temperature checks at the back, bypassing the café.
Prove how Covid-19 altered ONE SINGLE BUSINESS. Evidence? Government MANDATES altered business. “How Lockdowns...” would be more objectively true. You don’t seem to care about objectivity or having any empathy for these businesses instead acting like a virus changed a street?
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Great article. This is one of those 'time capsule' pieces that ppl will read 50 years from now to understand the pandemic
thanks for this news
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thank you very much for your work