Alex Guardiola is the director of government affairs and public policy at the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. Reach him at AGuardiola@worcesterchamber.org.
February 22, 2021
Worcester chamber asks city to reopen bar dining
The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce has asked City Manager Edward Augustus to consider reopening bar dining in a Feb. 17 letter from Alex Guardiola, chamber director of government affairs and public policy.
In the letter, Guardiola cites decreasing coronavirus case numbers and the fact Worcester can now be categorized as yellow under Gov. Charlie Baker’s phased reopening plan. Surrounding towns also designated as yellow are also beginning to allow restaurant customers to eat at bars, Guardiola said.
“While we understand the need to continue to be vigilant against the fight in stopping the spread of this virus, we must also remember that these small businesses are on the cusp of shuttering,” Guardiola wrote. “One in four restaurants in the commonwealth have closed their doors for good.”
Guardiola further argued it is possible to open bar top dining safely by using options like partitions, limiting party sizes and implementing time limits for dining.
“Many restaurants here in the city rely on single seating at bars for revenue,” Guardiola wrote. “While we traditionally think of a family sitting at a booth for dinner, there is a large population of individuals or couples who prefer dining at a bar top for their dining experience.”
Augustus signed an executive order banning bar seating on Sept. 24. The order stipulated its own expiration upon Worcester being designated, once again, as a yellow community.
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Anonymous
February 23, 2021
I agree and support this. If we can do it smart, maybe with increments of time allotted, singles and couples could enjoy an hour or so to have some cocktails and dine. We can make it happen We are advanced in technology, heck, you go out and you get a text message that your table is ready after checking in! Why can't we do this with bar dinning/seating? Make it happen, lets move forward safely and start getting make to our cultural events that we enjoy.
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