I’m not standing alone in defending small businesses against the government’s unfair (and unconstitutional) policy of picking and choosing winner and losers. There are many more Baltimore City restaurant owners and small business owners who stand beside me. You will hear more from us all in the following days, in an organized fashion.
It has been 9 weeks; the current policy is unsustainable. We’d love to be able to serve customers indoors at limited capacity, but we’re also responsible members of the community and we realize we need to start with “baby steps” in the interest of public safety. So, we want to be able to serve people outdoors, legally and safely. In Little Italy, we want to close one or two streets to open an outdoor self-service food court of tables, properly distanced, where those who order curbside could eat their meals. The tables would be bleached after each use. We want an even, fair playing field: to be able to open for Stage 1 business in Baltimore City—just like the large corporate stores in MD—using common sense, social distancing, lots of bleach solution, and abiding by CDC/WHO protocols wearing masks and gloves. (I closed my restaurant a full day before the Governor announced his mandatory closure policy, so believe me, I appreciate and respect the public health argument. This is serious. But so is the precarious position small businesses find themselves in right now).
I’ve spoken with a number of politicians, business owners, and community leaders today. I have still not gotten a return phone call from Baltimore’s Mayor. Tomorrow, the campaign to ratchet up the pressure continues…
We want to be reasonable, we want to work legally and in concert with local and state officials to protect the public health, we want to be treated fairly by the Governor and the Mayor, but most of all, we want to be heard!
Our small businesses are at the precipice, while other businesses are FLOURISHING. The government has found an accommodation for them. LET’S WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A SAFE PATH FORWARD. One thing we’ve learned, when government “goes it alone,” we all suffer. The time is now.
This is a call to action. If you own a small business and agree with me, email me at info@AldosItaly.com and we’ll work together.
Sergio Vitale
Aldo’s Restaurant
306 South High Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
Chef Sergio Vitale 