PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — A Palm Beach Gardens restaurant owner is facing serious struggles in this coronavirus crisis.
"Everybody's got to be closed out as of tonight," Salute Market owner Michelle Lefkowitz said.
It's always been a dream for the Ohio-born Lefkowitz to run her own restaurant, but things are turning into a nightmare because of COVID-19.
"I was in tears this morning before I ever got out of bed thinking about the fact that we had to come in here today and layoff 95-92% of our employees," she said.
At first, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered every restaurant to limit its occupancy to 50%. Then Friday, DeSantis announced all bars and restaurants must stop selling food and alcohol for on-site consumption until further notice.
"Coming together with an action plan on Monday for what this week was going to look like was really challenging. And you take things like your growth plan and your future and you take that and put it on hold," she said.
Lefkowitz said on a typical Friday they'll make 75% less than they normally would. What will sustain them is locals like Jason Williams, surprised at the new reality.
"This early, yes, especially in Palm Beach County," Williams said. "There's so much to do and to close these places, it's way too early."
Lefkowitz said in order for Salute Market to make that money back, they must adapt.
"We've been researching on implementing online ordering, online credit card processing, delivery logistics and systems," she said.
Lefkowitz said they've looked into hiring delivery drivers. But that, too, comes at a cost. To insure one driver, she said, costs between $7,000 and $10,000 a year. As for delivery services, she said, in some cases it can take up to 35% of a restaurant's profit.
