100 NYC Restaurateurs Announce Plans to Sue the City Over Indoor Dining Freeze

Restaurateurs announce class-action lawsuit to force the city to allow indoor dining

A group of 100 restaurant owners from Brooklyn and Staten Island have banded together to launch a class-action lawsuit against the city over its refusal to allow indoor dining, the New York Post reports. The restaurateurs argue that the city has met the same metrics as the rest of the state to keep COVID-19 infection rates low, yet NYC is the only area of the state to be excluded from allowing indoor dining at a reduced capacity.

The news follows a press conference hosted by the New York Hospitality Alliance earlier this week where restaurateurs demanded a plan from the city for clarity on when indoor dining would be allowed. NYC restaurants are currently only able to offer takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining, which is slated to end on October 31.

On Thursday, the mayor refused to provide a timeline for a return to indoor dining in the city citing health concerns, echoing concerns outlined by Gov. Andrew Cuomo a day earlier about the population and density of NYC being factors for worry. Over 1,500 gym owners in the city previously filed a class-action lawsuit to force the city to allow the businesses to re-open; the city later announced that gyms could start reopening in September.

In other news

— Well-liked Queens vegetarian Indian restaurant Angel — from Adda alum Amrit Pal Singh — has pivoted to selling fish, chicken, and lamb dishes in addition to its vegetarian items during the pandemic.

— A few more details have emerged on chef David Bouley’s new project in Tribeca, which will include tailored dinners for small groups of customers that are “designed to optimize the healing power of food.”

— Industry group Relief for All Restaurants (ROAR) released a video on Instagram yesterday highlighting NYC restaurant staffers and rallying support for the RESTAURANTS Act, a bill that would help financially support restaurants amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

— Noho seafood-and-steak restaurant Saxon + Parole appears to have closed after nine years in the neighborhood.

— Weekend plans: