NYC restaurant owner claims 'we are getting screwed' by coronavirus restrictions, bashes Democrats
Joseph Smith tells FBN 25% capacity limit for NYC indoor dining is 'way too low'
Democratic leaders in the New York City, state, and federal governments have made business difficult for restaurant owners during the coronavirus pandemic, Bobby Vans Steakhouses owner Joseph Smith told Fox Business Network's "Varney & Co." Friday.
Smith has led a group of restaurant owners protesting city guidelines allowing restaurants to reopen indoor dining at 25% capacity on Sept. 30.
"We're demanding 50%, 25% is way too low," Smith told host Stuart Varney. "It's not going to cover payroll. We have payroll, we have rent, we have insurance, we have electricity -- it's not even close to what we need."
NYC RESTAURANT OWNERS RESPOND TO INDOOR DINING RESTRICTIONS
Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo described the reopening of indoor dining in the Big Apple as "good news and the right step forward" in a statement Wednesday before adding "it is up to all of us to ensure compliance and the health and safety of those around us."
Smith described New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio as "a man [who] ... I think he's never run a business, he doesn't know what running a business means." He added that Cuomo was "similar."
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"We are getting screwed as we are the second biggest employer in the country and for six months we've been forgotten about," he said. "They can open up swimming pools ... they can do whatever they want except to help to get people back to work."
Smith also criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., claiming that they "have been a thorn in the working man's side since [the pandemic] started" and citing their handling of coronavirus stimulus negotiations.