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For some native enterprise house owners, the expanded state well being and security orders that went into impact Saturday had been one other punch to the intestine, throughout a 12 months wherein they’ve already absorbed loads of physique blows.
In Greensburg, Jioio’s proprietor Tony Jioio is buckling down for a tricky vacation season.
“That is type of a nasty time of 12 months for this to be occurring,” he mentioned. “I anticipate it to be just like the final time we had the lockdown: takeout can be busier, however we gained’t have any dine-in service.”
This time of 12 months, Jioio’s additionally does a brisk enterprise catering meals for Christmas events that largely gained’t be occurring within the subsequent few weeks.
“We’re in all probability at half the quantity (of occasions) we had been final 12 months, and if there are occasions occurring, they’re lots smaller,” he mentioned.
For others, Saturday was largely enterprise as regular.
“We haven’t made any adjustments at present,” mentioned Alaa Alamili, proprietor at Amili’s Pizzeria close to the Plum-Murrysville border on Route 286. “Really, we’ve gotten busier.”
The pizza store has solely a handful of tables, and was already doing a brisk takeout and supply enterprise earlier than the primary spherical of well being and security pointers took impact.
After weeks spent imploring Pennsylvanians to remain dwelling as a lot as potential, restrict their in-person interactions and put on a masks, Gov. Tom Wolf and the state secretary of Well being issued new orders shutting down indoor eating, gyms, college sports activities and extra as circumstances and deaths throughout the state proceed to swell.
The order will final via 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 4.
In Export, Jigger’s Pub proprietor Tony DeCesare is becoming a member of forces with the competitors, partnering with fellow Washington Avenue bar Joey’s the Edge to advertise the borough.
“On Monday, we’re going give out punch playing cards and attempt to encourage of us to do takeout for drinks and meals,” DeCesare mentioned. “We need to give them an opportunity to stroll via downtown and luxuriate in themselves. And now we have some firewood and a few burn barrels so that folk can hang around outdoors.”
In Greensburg, Comrades Barber Store supervisor Joe Henderson mentioned cleanliness was already on the high of his listing earlier than the pandemic started.
“In case you open up the barber’s ebook, the very first thing it says is that sanitation is the very most vital factor,” he mentioned. “So we’re already fairly medical as it’s. However there are some measures we’ve taken: we alter capes on each shopper, we and the shoppers put on masks, no extra ready room, issues like that.”
Dave Luehm’s North Huntingdon enterprise, Luehm Sweet Co., has seen each good and dangerous all through the pandemic.
“The dangerous factor is, we distribute to bars, eating places and small grocery shops,” Luehm mentioned. “The small mom-and-pop grocery shops appear to thrive on this setting, so we’re doing good enterprise with them. However we’re not doing enterprise with any eating places proper now.”
Luehm mentioned one small silver lining he’s seen is extra retail enterprise at his retailer off Route 30.
“Our Christmas enterprise has been fairly good,” he mentioned. “We’ve needed to shift our focus from wholesaling to eating places, and extra towards retail.”
One Luehm’s merchandise that eating places are nonetheless shopping for loads of is takeout containers. Luehm mentioned it’s given him a window into the precarious monetary state of affairs so many food-service enterprise house owners are in.
“I had a restaurant proprietor in at present, and he or she was saying that it’s simply a lot more durable — and extra expensive — doing solely takeout and supply, and other people don’t all the time perceive,” he mentioned. “They really feel like they need to be paying much less in comparison with sitting down at a restaurant, when in actuality the associated fee is normally larger for the enterprise.”
For Henderson, regardless that the first restriction on his enterprise is capability, he’s nonetheless feeling the results of the expanded well being and security pointers.
“It’s time-consuming, however past that, some shoppers simply haven’t come again,” he mentioned. “They’re nonetheless quarantining, and we simply do what we will to comply with all the rules.”
Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Assessment workers author. You possibly can contact Patrick at 724-850-2862, pvarine@triblive.com or by way of Twitter .
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