ST. LOUIS — As restaurants turn their dine-in areas upside down and plaster carry out and closed signs on their doors, servers are joining the growing number of Americans who are out of work.
“So, I feel very expendable at this point because what if they lose so much money that they can no longer employ me?” asked Dakota Cortez.
Cortez worked as a server most recently at the Little Fox. His livelihood was shuttered as the effort to curb the spread of coronavirus intensified.
“I just left my previous job. We all went to go have drinks and the next day, that place of business closed down. The place that I just started working at closed down and pretty much every place that I frequented closed down,” said Cortez.
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After several years in business, the owners of 2nd Shift Brewing said letting go of their staff was one of the hardest decisions they’ve made.
“We had to lay off several of my employees, eight of them to be exact," said Libby Crider. "My job is kind of mama bear, to take care of them, and I feel like I'm failing right now.”
Crider posted on the company's Facebook page that they were waiting for Gov. Mike Parson to give the Missouri hospitality industry some sort of relief.
On Thursday, about 20 small restaurant owners got together to ask the state government to do just that.
“People are hurting and are in need and this is the time for the government to step up,” said Qui Tran, owner of Mai Lee and Nudo House.
Tran, along with co-owner of Niche Food Group Gerard Craft, joined a teleconference asking Missouri Senator Josh Hawley to listen to their pleas for help.
“I know things work slow in Washington, there’s procedures, but right now there’s an emergency," Tran said.
They're asking for payroll tax relief, eviction protection and more, so everyone can get back to the jobs they know.
"Time will tell right now. I'm a little more comfortable, but give it a week or two. I think it will settle in," said Cortez.
The owners of 2nd Shift Brewing started a fundraiser to help their employees during the closure.
So far, they've already surpassed their $8,000 goal.
