As the situation concerning restaurants and bars in the Boston area and elsewhere in Massachusetts continues to change and evolve, a lot of issues have been coming up that revolve around everything from insurance to help for workers to how dining and drinking spots may be able to survive this--and, of course, what happens once things return to some semblance of normalcy. Some of the questions being discussed both on our Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page and elsewhere include the following, in no particular order:
1) In what ways are restaurants and bars covered for this by insurance, or are they even covered?
2) Is there a chance that restaurants may receive a break on taxes, including possibly delaying payment of the meals tax?
3) Is there a way for landlords to give dining and drinking spots a break since they either aren't open or are only open for takeout/delivery?
4) Should restaurants and bars lay off their help so workers can collect unemployment?
5) For bars that serve very little food (or no food at all), how can they survive since takeout/delivery might be impossible?
6) What types of state and/or federal assistance will be available to restaurants and bars--and the people who work for them?
7) How much should people generally tip restaurants and delivery people for takeout orders/delivery?
8) While the idea of purchasing gift cards right now for later use seems to be a good one, is there anything that restaurants, bars, and diners need to know about their usage--for instance, should diners use them ASAP once places reopen, and why?
9) Once the ban on eating and drinking at restaurant and bars is lifted, what steps will they need to take to convince customers that it is safe to eat/drink there once again?
10) In what ways might the Coronavirus end up changing the restaurant/bar landscape permanently?
There are plenty more questions out there right now, so this is really just a sampling, and since things are moving so quickly and answers to some of these are being discussed as we speak, these questions are more in the way of food for thought than anything right now.
If you'd like to give your thoughts on some of these questions and/or have any other questions that you think are important as we continue through this crisis, please please post at the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants group page above or at the following Twitter pages: @hiddenboston or @MarcHurBoston
[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]
