New Yorks Nightlife Shuttered to Curb Coronavirus – The New York Times

This is my career this is not my side job, she said. If I only have experience in restaurants, how do I branch out?

Across the East River in Queens, Quy Tran, a 55-year-old waiter and delivery man for a Vietnamese restaurant in Jackson Heights, said he had two or three weeks of cash in the bank. I feel nervous, scared, he said, not about the sickness but about money.

And in a restaurant on Columbus Avenue, as the owners sat around a table trying to figure out how to convert to takeout and delivery, a dishwasher swept the floor nearby. He said he still owed $5,000 to the person who helped him cross the border from Mexico last year.

Im not scared to come into work, the dishwasher said. I need the job.

At Bar Tabac, a longtime bistro in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, Roman Kologov, a waiter, set up water glasses on empty tables as if in a trance. Basically serve whoever wants to still eat, he said when asked about the last day before closing. Would you want to eat out?

Its a question that could linger beyond the shutdown. Once the crisis passes, chefs and restaurateurs do not expect business to immediately return. After what might be months of time away, diners might be initially wary of public gatherings or might still be out of the habit of dining out.

Everyone is going to have to make an effort, Mr. Ripert, the co-owner of Le Bernadin, said. We are going to see some drastic changes in the restaurant industry. Whatever was yesterday will be difficult to recreate.

Mr. Boulud agreed. We are going to work on zero margins for a long time, Im sure, he said. We need to be able to make the guests feel more comfortable to go out.

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New Yorks Nightlife Shuttered to Curb Coronavirus - The New York Times