Stay at home orders remain in place but the time will soon come where restaurants will once again be allowed to offer table service at their establishments. As certain restrictions begin to be lifted however, social distancing measures will need to remain in place, which many of us anticipate will require restaurants to limit their capacities.
The Hoboken hospitality industry needs our help now more than ever.
That’s why at the next City Council meeting, I’ll be sponsoring a pro-business legislation package with Council President Jen Giattino that will expand the use of sidewalk cafes and lower the commission that third party delivery companies can collect from local restaurants.
Under this plan, restaurants will be permitted to build a temporary platform in the parking spots immediately in front of their establishment to use as an outdoor dining area. We’re also proposing that eateries located across from municipal parks be allowed to extend their seating to the sidewalk immediately in front of the park, with a pathway designated for pedestrians. Being spread out in open air will be our best option for all of us and executing a plan like this will ensure restaurants and cafes continue to serve as many customers as possible.
In a complimentary piece of legislation, we are looking to cap the commission collected by third party delivery companies, like GrubHub and UberEats, at 10% during a declared State of Emergency. In some cases, these app-based systems are collecting up to 30% of every order. Right now, we need to make sure Hoboken restaurants are bringing in their fair share of profit to employ their staff and pay their bills. Cities across the country have already begun the process to limit the revenue lost by small businesses to these large companies and Hoboken deserves the same protections. This plan also prohibits the corporations from reducing the compensation of their independent delivery drivers.
These initiatives should serve as a message to the hospitality industry that we are ready to identify creative and innovative ways to help keep the doors open for business in Hoboken and support them through the remainder of this pandemic.