Some bars in the region are backing up and running in protest against Gov. Tom Wolf’s mandates that place restrictions on eateries to limit the spread of covid-19.
But if you want to sit at the bar and have drinks at Al’s Café in Bethel Park, or Piacquadio’s Restaurant and Lounge in Castle Shannon, you must first sign a waiver of sorts.
“By signing this form, I agree that Al’s Café is not liable for any future illness that I may contract. I agree that by signing this I have made the choice and want to sit at the bar and accept all responsibility for my own actions, ”reads the half-page form found in Bethel Park’s bar and restaurant.
Dillon Carr | Tribune Review
Rod Ambrogi, of Al’s Cafe, made a form that he signs all his bar patterns before they can have a drink at the bar.
The form was one action taken by board members of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Restaurant and Tavern Association on Friday – the deadline given to Gov. Tom Wolf to respond to requests from the newly formed association to make matters in the food sector a little easier during the ongoing pandemic.
The restaurant owners also let as many people come in to eat as they can afford while they are 6 feet apart.
On July 15, Gov. Tom Wolf placed an order for outdoor seating, but Pennsylvania restaurants limited to 25% of indoor capacity – no matter how large or small an establishment is. The order also put an end to direct bar service.
In Al’s Café, people sat at the bar on Friday at 3pm. There was banter, laughter, and the sound of sports talk shows.
A bartender, masked, took orders for people sitting 6 feet apart. Many had no food with their drink.
Before cartridges could be served cold, they were asked to sign a form, which also required them to print their name, date, time and temperature. The bar was equipped with an infrared thermometer.
“This way it’s her choice,” Ambrogi said, sending word to his patrons sitting at the bar.
He said he sent templates of the form to the other members of the association on Friday morning. It was not immediately clear which association board members would follow with the opening of their bars and adhere to the 25% capacity rule.
Requests for the association to announce which establishments will participate in the protest have been denied. The website does not list them; instead it states it has 200 members and encourages people to sign a petition claiming to have received about 9,200 signatures.
Gary Scoulos, the association’s lawyer, was not immediately available to comment on the legal weight of the form.
However, the association’s Facebook page posted Friday morning this was their “peaceful protest to stand up for your rights, your businesses, your employees and the right to live honestly!”
Tony Konopka, of Peters Township, said he was there to support Ambrogi, whom he called his ‘best buddy’, in his decision to step down as governor.
“We are here in solidarity,” he said. “The fact that the mayor did not respond is absurd. … I mean it’s just horse (explicit). We feel terrible for these people; many of these guys are unpaid for weeks or months. ”
The association has made three applications:
• Allow for so much indoor capacity that split tables deliver six feet apart.
• Operate bar services with a 6-foot rule and barriers.
• Eliminate the rule that requires food to be ordered before alcohol is served.
Wolf has not immediately responded to the association and he does not agree to meet with them.
The Allegheny County Department of Health has called on restaurants and businesses several times to follow the governor’s orders.
‘We really need you on board. The virus is not a hoax. It’s not a rumor, “said Allegheny County Health Department department director Debra Bogen on Wednesday during a weekly coronavirus update.
Risk of liquor license
For bars or restaurants that serve alcohol, defending Wolf’s orders could mean losing their licenses or being charged with crimes, a Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board spokesman said.
John Piacquadio will also have customers who want to sit at his bar sign the form. When socially distanced, the bar sits eight.
‘I will fight for the jobs of these people. That’s it, ”he said, referring to his staff of 12. Before he was covid-19, he worked 24.
He feels that Wolf’s assignments are discriminatory for restaurants and bars. In the last month, since the governor’s last order reduced indoor dining to 25%, Piacquadio said it has lost two-thirds of its revenue.
“And if health officials are so worried that children will go back to school, why did they open Kennywood? Why did they open Sandcastle? Come on, ‘he said. “We are trying to set the standard here. Let’s follow the CDC guidelines like all other companies in Pennsylvania. ”
Two of his customers agree with his sentiment.
“These rules about restaurants are stricter – more than necessary,” said Susan Wilcox, who had just had lunch at the Shannon eatery on Friday.
Wilcox, 59, of Lawrence, Washington County, said the pandemic did not slow her and her husband’s eating habits. They regularly visit restaurants in Washington County, Southpointe and Mt. Lebanon.
“We have no problems going anywhere,” she said. “I have not seen anywhere that I have not followed the rules.”
Cathy Normandy, 59, of West Mifflin, said she supported the association’s stance. Even she still does not feel comfortable eating. But it’s not because she’s afraid of getting sick.
‘I just do not have to wear a mask, can not hear people talking and can not see them smiling. And I do not like all the rules I have to follow at restaurants, ”she said.
Normandy was on its way out of Piacquadios with their favorite fish sandwich.
“It’s just easier to get takeout,” Normandy said.
Dillon Carr is a staff writer for Tribune Review. You can contact Dillon at 412-871-2325, [email protected] or via Twitter .
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