Takeout Only | How California Elites Crushed LA’s Local Restaurants

It was a dark winter for most small business owners across America, but Los Angeles County in particular was decimated by draconian lockdown measures right before the holidays. The county shut down both indoor and outdoor dining as of Nov. 25, allowing restaurants to only use takeout to feed their customers.

The Daily Caller’s Jorge Ventura traveled across the county talking to restaurant owners who are barely able to keep their lights on. The documentary tracks the gradual escalation of lockdown measures and their impact on small businesses. We also shed light on California’s bureaucrats breaking their lockdown measures, and their apparent indifference to those suffering under policies they imposed.

Los Angeles County put a ban on outdoor dining the week of Thanksgiving impacting 30,000 restaurants in the county. More than 110,000 restaurants across the country are set to close permanently or long-term, according to the National Restaurant Association. California was the first state in March to issue a state wide stay-at-home order and since then restaurants have had to adjust to some of the strictest COVID-19 restrictions in the country.

Vince’s Pasta & Pizza,Lancaster, has been in business for 30 years but that could change as owner Carmen Opperman isn’t sure how long her restaurant can stay afloat with ongoing covid restrictions. We spoke to Carmen for our upcoming doc. Stay tuned @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/YrHqSUPeYM

— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) December 28, 2020

“We were expecting a lot of sports and revenue to come in but that all shut down” Dave Foldes, the owner of Cronies Sports Grill in Southern California said about the state wide stay-at-home order issued in March. “We were limited to just takeout and delivery and our business does not do well with that is a very small part of our business.”

Foldes has decided to defy the outdoor dining ban and has continued to serve his customers. According to Foldes, he has been fined $500 everyday to defy the outdoor dining ban by LA County Public Health. “This whole thing started because the last we’re going to do is lay people off during the Christmas holiday” said Foldes on why he decided to defy the county’s orders that ban restaurants, bars and breweries from serving outdoors. “I can’t see laying them off, they need money for the holidays.” (RELATED : LA Judge Leaves Outdoor Dining Ban In Place But Demands To See Evidence Supporting The Policy)

Working on a documentary about the ongoing impacts the restaurant industry is facing in Southern California as they try to survive the outdoor dining ban. Cronies Sports Grill owner Dave Foldes has been defying the outdoor dining ban and has racked up $9000 in fines @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/W7ah9lC7K5

— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) December 27, 2020

The ban on outdoor dining has forced many restaurants and breweries like Ravens Nest and Bravery Brewing in LA County to layoff employees during the holidays as they adjust to takeout-only service. “Furloughing our staff, pivoting and for the first time in our company’s history having to find a way to discount our beer so we can through all of it in a timely fashion.”

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