NYC Restaurants: 10 p.m. Coronavirus Curfew Reduced Revenue by 30 Percent

New York City’s restaurants are struggling even more as Democrat New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) 10 p.m. coronavirus curfew has reduced their revenue by 30 percent.

Restaurant owners in the city say their revenues dropped by roughly 30 percent this weekend after closing early to comply with the governor’s latest mandate to control coronavirus in the state.

“It’s not easy to get people to leave,” Erin Bellard, owner of e’s BAR on the Upper West Side, told the New York Post. “We tell them they have to leave by 10 p.m., but it’s definitely awkward.”

“There’s always a couple of people who push back. We try to be hospitable, but it’s like we are herding people out — we just can’t risk a $10,000 fine. We are struggling to stay afloat,” Bellard added.

To adapt to the changes, e’s BAR plans to begin opening earlier on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays to serve brunch. But Bellard is worried the changes might not work for an eatery that caters to a late-night crowd.

Before the 10 p.m. curfew, restaurants had been allowed to stay open outdoors until 11 p.m. and remain open indoors until midnight.

They were also allowed to let customers linger for a half an hour to pay their bills and finish their meals.

The curfew is putting diners on a strict schedule and is crushing restaurant workers’ pay.

Cuomo announced last Wednesday that starting November 13, all restaurants with a waitstaff, fitness centers, and establishments that serve alcohol would have to abide by the 10 p.m. curfew.

The New York governor’s curfew came days after Democrat New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced that bars and restaurants in the state would have to stop indoor dining hours between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.