35 Restaurant Closures Including Dunkin’, Stewart’s, Bonefish Grill, Cousins Ale House, and Others

As winter is coming, and extended outdoor dining in parklets (aka designated areas in parking spots on the streets) has ended as of November 1, 2020 in Beacon, restaurants are facing an incredible challenge to stay open. Some restaurants are able to keep their sidewalk dining open, and some have courtyards in the back. Some have been able to succeed through delivery options. Trax Coffee Roasters, based in Beacon, just opened a second location on Rte. 52, at the boarder of Fishkill and Beacon. For a list of which ones, see A Little Beacon Blog’s Restaurant Guide.

The radio station WPDH, ‘The Home of Rock and Roll’, has shared a list of at least 35 restaurants that are closing in the Hudson Valley. Some that have been in business for over 30 years! Reasoning for some closures are unknown, and others are due to COVID-19. Visit WPDH for more reporting they did on each restaurant regarding thier reasons for closing, most of which are pandemic-related.

WPDH also shared that, “Dunkin' is set to close at least eight New York locations. Dunkin' confirmed plans to close 450 locations, mostly on the East Coast, by the end of 2020. All of the Dunkin' closures are stores located inside Speedway gas stations. In the Hudson Valley, there are Dunkin' stores inside Speedway locations in Highland, New Windsor, Saugerties, and two in Kingston according to Google Maps. In New York, there are also locations in Hudson, Norwich and Margaretville. Click Here to read more.”

Below is a quick list of the restaurants closing. Be sure to read the article at WPDH for their reporting.

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Beacon

Dunkin’ Donuts, on Rte. 52.
Other Dunkin’ Donuts inside of Speedway gas stations will also close, as walk-in foot-traffic has diminished.

Fishkill

Il Barilotto (on Main Street)

Wappingers Falls

Stewart’s Shops on Route 9D
Cousins Ale House, which includes the entire brewery, not just moving to a new location.
Michael's
Rita’s Italian Ice

Poughkeepsie

Sweet Obsessions
Nic L Inn Cellar Bistro & Market 
Bonefish Grill
Table Talk Diner
Ruby Tuesday at the Poughkeepsie Mall (the Fishkill location had already closed months prior to pandemic)
Amici's

Newburgh

Cena 2000 (on the Newburgh Waterfront)
Waterfront Lounge and Grill (on the Newburgh Waterfront)
Union Square

Wallkill

Zoghby's Blueberry Mountain Ice Cream 

Napanoch

White Wolf Restaurant

New Windsor

Sweet Peas Cafe

Kingston

TCBY
Duo Bistro
Dunkin’ Donuts

Irvington

Dexter’s Den

Scarsdale

California Pizza Kitchen

Montgomery

88 Charles Street Cafe
Garrison's Tavern & Restaurant 

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Dutchess County Makes $430,000 In Microenterprise Grants Available To Businesses Negatively Affected By COVID-19

From the press release sent by the Office Of the Dutchess County Executive on September 9, 2020:

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro announced today (9/9/2020) Dutchess County has made $430,000 in grants available to assist microenterprise businesses negatively affected by COVID-19, through a program administered by Community Capital New York (CCNY). A microenterprise is defined as a business with 5 or fewer employees, including the owner. The program provides grants of up to $10,000 to stabilize microenterprises and preserve low- and moderate-income jobs. Eligible businesses can apply online here.

County Executive Molinaro said, “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and this pandemic has forced many to close, with many more struggling to remain open. These grants will help these businesses stay afloat – keeping our neighbors employed and communities vibrant.”

The funding for the program comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant COVID/CARES Act (CDBG-CV) which was provided to the County’s Urban County CDBG Consortium. Eligible businesses must be in a municipality which is a member of the Consortium. The Consortium includes all Dutchess County municipalities, except the City of Poughkeepsie, which received its own CDBG-CV funds; the city is expected to announce a similar program using its CDBG-CV funds by in the near future.

City of Beacon is also committing $150,000 towards this program (which became available in December 2020), specifically for business located in the City of Beacon. Funding for this program is from the City’s Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) funds; its applications will be accepted via the same application and follow the same guidelines, and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Eligible businesses must meet the following standards, established by the federal government:

• Five or fewer employees, including the owner

• Located in the Dutchess County Urban County CDBG Consortium

• Retain, rehire or create at least one low- and moderate-income job for six months

• For-profit business (non-profits are ineligible)

• Operate outside of a residential property

• In operation prior to March 15, 2017

• Not be one of the following business types: adult book, video and entertainment facilities, check cashing facilities, gambling facilities, gun shops, liquor stores, non-therapeutic massage parlors, medical marijuana production /distribution, pawn shops, tanning salons or tattoo parlors

• Must document that funds are not duplicating other financial assistance provided via the CARES Act.

The low and moderate job standard can be met several ways:

• Retain, rehire, or create at least one full-time position for a person whose full-time annual salary is below $54,950 . For retention, the position must be at imminent risk of job loss without the funding; or

• he business is located within a Low- and Moderate-Income Area (LMA) and primarily serves local residents; or

The following are the federal established low- and moderate-income limits:

Household Size Income Limit

1 $54,950

2 $62,800

3 $70,650

4 $78,500

5 $84,800

6 $91,100

7 $97,350

8 $103,650

Eligible uses of funds include:

• Rent

• Working capital

• Technical training

• Machinery and equipment, including personal protective equipment for employees

• Certain other costs associated with stabilizing a small business

Ineligible Uses:

• Relocation of business operations

• Renovations

• Paying off existing debt

• Reimbursement for costs incurred before aid

• Applications are available here and will be accepted until all the funds are expended. CCNY will also provide technical assistance to potentially eligible businesses.

The Dutchess County Urban County CDBG Consortium includes 20 towns​, 8 villages and the City of Beacon. For the purpose of ​administering this program, the villages ​will be considered in conjunction with their respective town. For the first four weeks of the application process, CCNY will award grants based on an equitable distribution among the 20 towns and the City of Beacon. After October 7, 2020, applications will be approved on a first-come, first-serve​d basis.

Beacon Launches New Poster For Reopening (The Partial Reopening); Mayor To Walk Main Street 4th Of July

Poster Design By Randall Martin

Max’s On Main rolled out the green carpet for patrons in their side “parklet.” Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Business and recreational life is all topsy-turvey at moment, but Beacon is making the best of it. During a holiday when business are normally closed on the 4th of July (like last year when it fell on a Thursday) leaving the city as a ghost town, this year, those who can open are thrilled to be open, and are rolling out the green carpet for diners to eat outside in the new “parklets,” which are the parking spots along Main Street outside of participating restaurants (see who is open this weekend - ALBB compiled the list!).

In a firework happy town (yes, people continue to blast off small fireworks from their driveways), there was the year when the fireworks almost didn’t happen because the organizers, the Kiwanis Club of Beacon, disbanded and the baton needed to be found and handed down to business owners who stepped up to the plate to fundraise. Due to COVID-19, fireworks in Memorial Park have been postponed.

Mayor’s Main Street Walk

The City of Beacon issued a press release announcing that Mayor Lee Kyriacou would be walking Main Street on Saturday to visit businesses. “Mayor Lee Kyriacou will walk the length of Beacon’s Main Street on Saturday July 4th. He will visit with business owners and patronize restaurants and stores along the way. The City has been assisting Main Street businesses with the phased reopening process, in particular developing additional safe outdoor space.”

Mayor Kyriacou said: “We’re facilitating the safe reopening of businesses through controlled expansion into targeted outdoor spaces. Our local businesses are the life blood of our Main Street and Beacon’s economy. Everything you need can be found at a local Beacon business.”

In the press release, Mayor Kyriacou stated that he created a Local Business Working Group. ALBB first reported on that group after Councilperson George Mansfield (owner of Dogwood) announced to the public and encouraged any business owner to join and participate. The group met on Tuesday mornings and was facilitated and attended by Councilperson George and Beacon’s City Administrator, Anthony Ruggiero. Businesses discussed outside alternatives for dining, and what safety precautions to have in place for retail. During different calls, Assistant to the County Executive, Ron Hicks was a featured guest to advise businesses about enforcement of safety guidelines. Ron expressed the hard position he is in as both an enforcer of rules, as well as a promoter of the Reopening. On the next call, the City’s law firm, Keane and Beane was on to present and answer legal questions.

“A lot of great ideas were discussed during the Working Group meetings,” City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero said in the press release. “The group’s intention was to create simple and immediate solutions for businesses in a unique climate. The visible outcomes were the parklet program – businesses expanded into parking spaces, and the Beacon Back Together branding campaign found in many storefronts.”

The poster for Beacon Back Together was designed by Randall Martin and spearheaded by Councilperson George.

Beacon Back Together - Sort Of

Left out of the business reopening are numerous storefronts who fall into the category of Gyms. This includes dance studios like Yanarella and Ballet Arts Studio; fitness studios like Studio Beacon and Zoned Fitness; yoga studios like BeBhakti (the hot yoga studio Pavonine has announced their sad but anticipated closure); and pilates studios like Beacon Pilates and Roc Pilates (so sorry if we did not mention anyone else in this brief mention).

Movie theaters are also in this designation - like Story Screen - and performance and education venues like Beacon Performing Arts and Compass Arts (sadly did leave their retail space, but are figuring it out in a digital and nomad outside destination way for now).

A Little Beacon Blog is currently looking into COVID-related commercial lease programs to see if landlords in Beacon have been using them (or if they exist), as several storefronts in and around Main Street are continuing to pay their rent for a space they are not allowed to use. Unlike homeowners who have been rescued by mandated mortgage relief programs.

Outdoor Seating Licenses For Dining Is Expanded By City Of Beacon - Fencing Provided To Enlarge Spaces

The City of Beacon along with Dutchess County has made a large effort to increase seating in outdoor spaces in Beacon. Dutchess County has been working with the State Liquor Authority to increase opportunities for restaurants to serve food and alcoholic beverage outside. According to a press release sent 6/3/2020 by Dutchess County: “For weeks, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, working with local supervisors and mayors, has pushed the state and State Liquor Authority for a series of innovative actions to help restaurants provide alternatives to traditional ‘dine-in’ set-ups, and enable them to take advantage of the important summer dining season. New York State has taken Dutchess County’s suggestions and yesterday (6/2/2020) authorized restaurants to offer outdoor dining once the region is in Phase II.”

Cities and towns are also allowed to expand dining space into public spaces such as sidewalks and streets “which are beside, but not immediately adjacent to, the licensed premises for service of food and/or beverages” according to the SLA guidance.

According to the same press release from Dutchess County: “County Executive Molinaro, during his biweekly conference call with local Mayors & Supervisors, reviewed the new SLA guidance and strongly encouraged local leaders to assist their local restaurant operators in taking advantage of this opportunity.”

The City of Beacon, in group meeting conversations with local business owners on Tuesday morning conference calls, have been talking about “parklets,” where more city space will be created for businesses to set up tables and chairs to serve patrons. The City of Beacon has purchased fencing and cones that businesses can use without charge to help create these boundaries for “parklets,” and can decorate them.

Some business owners in retail are in favor of expanding dinging spaces into parking spots, which encourages walking. Courtney Sedor, owner of Raven Rose, was on the business conference call and was in favor of encouraging walking foot-traffic as opposed to cars, since the intersection down by her shop and across from Echo is a dangerous one with cars coming around the sharp bend in the road. Courtney was also in favor of lending her sidewalk space to her restaurant neighbor Beacon Falls Cafe if they wanted to expand seating as much as possible.

Said City Manager Anthony Ruggiero in response to Courtney’s question on if she would need a special permit: “I think the restaurant would [need to]. We wouldn't be opposed here. The whole goal is to help people and to provide as much social distancing as possible.”

During last night’s 6/15/2020 City Council Meeting, the City voted to approve making this process easy.

Outdoor Business Area Permit applications for Beacon can be downloaded here: https://www.cityofbeacon.org/index.php/2020/06/12/main-street-parklet-program-applications-and-guidelines/.

Please direct any questions relating to the permit to the experts in the Building Department at 845 838 5020.

Dutchess County Makes It Easier For Restaurants To Use Public Spaces Outside On June 9

According to a press release by Dutchess County, the County Executive Marcus Molinaro cut red tape to make it easier for restaurants to go around regulations to serve outside by signing this Executive Order today. Recently, that has been confusing for business owners and patrons, as public space was available to anyone to use (such as a picnic table in a park), but private property was not (such as a patio behind or adjacent to a restaurant). According to a business briefing last Tuesday by Beacon’s retained law firm, Keane & Beane, restaurants could use public spaces such as sidewalks, but not private property yet.

The press release:

“To help facilitate outdoor dining, which can begin tomorrow, Tuesday, June 9th in Dutchess County as part of Phase II, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro today signed a local Emergency Order waiving local regulations and requirements that could cause a potential burden or delay for local establishments to expand outdoor dining space. The executive order will also aid in the local efforts to provide access to municipal-owned land, including sidewalks, streets, etc. contiguous to a licensed establishment in coordination with the local municipality.

”County Executive Molinaro said, “By partnering with our twenty towns, eight villages and two cities we are working to remove every obstacle possible to support our small businesses and Open Main Street. As you can, with what you can, please support our neighborhood businesses as we reignite our economy and restart Dutchess.”

Legal Webinar To Review NY Governor's Reopening Plan - Hosted By Beacon's Attorneys' Firm

Businesses live with a lot of risk. Entrepreneurs tend to be risk averse, and don’t mind jumping with both feet into the unknown. Success is not always guaranteed, but a business owner will do as much as they can to get there. With the new Coronavirus world, and current pandemic we are living in, a whole new world of public health risk just opened up for business owners. To answer that, federal and regional laws are being created right before our eyes to help keep people protected, employed, fed, paid if not employed, housed, etc.

Businesses have a new set of guiding regulations to comply with as the regions reopen in phases. The law firm who Beacon contracts with to advise them on several legal matters, Keane and Beane, is hosting a free webinar to help guide businesses through this new legal landscape: “Re-Imagining New York: Preparing To Re-Open And Consideration Of Legal Issues And Best-Practice Tips.”

After having followed the attorneys from Keane and Beane at weekly City Council meetings and the Zoning and Planning Board meetings, this webinar will be one you want to attend if you are a business owner. The presentation will answer considerations of what can be done to get ready, and will review the Plan and explain the preparation that can be done now to get ready. The attorneys will review the forms and documents required for the upstate regions opening now.

Topics Covered In This Presentation

Topics include:

• What’s required for the mandatory Health & Safety Plan

• Consequences of an improper certification

• Labor and employment law issues

• Lease modification considerations

• Site plan and land use compliance issues

• State requirements for re-opening retail

• State requirements for reopening construction
  

Interested attendees should RSVP to Barbara Durkin at bdurkin@kblaw.com. An email with the webinar sign-on information will be sent the morning of the program.

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Beacon Businesses Form Open Group To Discuss Safety and Best Practice For Reopening

During a City Council meeting this month, Councilperson George Mansfield, who is the owner of the bar and restaurant Dogwood, reported that he and other business owners had met on Zoom to discuss best practices and safety measures for moving forward in a reopening, and will be doing so once a week on Tuesdays. This was prior to the official opening date of Phase 1 for the Mid-Hudson Region, of which Dutchess County is a part of. George encouraged other Beacon businesses to join in, and recommends that people email the Assistant to the Mayor, Collin Milone, to be added to the invite list when Zoom meetings are posted: cityofbeacon@cityofbeacon.org

When asked what some of the topics the group was looking at, George responded with:

• “Opening streets /sidewalks for possible restaurant use. We are weighing logistics and safety concerns.”

• “Establishing safety protocols for both retail and hospitality businesses.“

• “Making sure that we present to the Public a clear and consistent message regarding safety and sanitary standards.”

“Those are the prime issues,” George told A Little Beacon Blog. “We will obviously be following guidelines determined by NYS and looking at the success and failures of communities that have opened before us.”

Mid-Hudson Region (Dutchess County) Reopens Phase 1 Tuesday - But This Ain't No Door Buster

Governor Cuomo announced on Saturday, May 23, 2020 that the Mid-Hudson region, which includes Dutchess County, may begin reopening starting with Phase 1 on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. This announcement has been anticipated by Dutchess County who has been sending press releases the past few days in anticipation.

As recently as last week on May 14, 2020, County Executive Marcus Molinaro had stated in a press release that hitting all 7 benchmarks - specifically the decline in deaths metric - would be difficult. “The final two criteria the region must meet – 14 consecutive days of decline in new hospitalizations and 14 consecutive days of decline in deaths – will prove extremely difficult for the region, including Dutches County, to meet,” he stated. “A single day with an increase over the previous day in either category resets the 14-day clock.“

However, this week, Governor Cuomo feels satisfied with the metrics in Dutchess County, having increased the amount of contract tracers based on a new requirement he set. According to a press release sent by the county: “Dutchess County had already met the original state-mandated metric of 30 contact tracers per 100,000 population with more than 90 contact tracers. Earlier this week, the state increased the required number of contact tracers to 252, basing it on infection rate.” Dutchess County put out a call for more volunteers, and were answered with the necessary amount of people wanting to be trained to trace.

While County Executive Molinaro was pushing for Dutchess County to reopen independently of the other counties in the Mid-Hudson region, which includes hard-hit Westchster (New Rochelle hotspot) and Orange County (Newburgh deaths continue to rise and the new cases metrics have not updated in the past few days), Governor Cuomo remained steadfast that all counties within a region open at the same time, stating the decision is the federal and CDC policy, according to this report in the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Governor Cuomo stated that if there is a region that has their various indicators rise after they begin the reopening phases, the state will shut that region back down.

Who Is In Phase 1?

At the county level, the following areas of business can begin to reopen: Construction, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, Retail (limited to curbside or in-store pickup or drop-off), Manufacturing, Wholesale Trade. As for retail stores, this does not mean that the shopping experience is back on. In fact, store sales are limited to pre-ordering only, with pickup at the curb, or inside if necessary, if the store owner allows it and has reduced capacity by 50% which includes employees and customers. If many doors are open, it may be because the store owner is complying with the new retail COVID-19 regulations that favor increasing ventilation.

According to New York State’s FAQ on its New York Forward plan and Business Reopening: “In-store pickup is defined as a customer placing an order for specific item(s) by phone or internet in advance, then collecting such order at the retail location. The retail location must abide by physical distancing requirements which prohibit occupancy within the location to no more than 50% of the maximum occupancy, including both employees and customers. Customers are only allowed on the premise to retrieve their prearranged order; not to browse or place an in-person order. Customers must maintain 6 feet of space from others or wear an acceptable face covering, if unable to maintain such distance.”

No Hair Cuts Yet

Salons, beauty services like lashes and nails, tattoo establishments and other touch-based businesses are not included in Phase 1. Hair salons, however can sell products, as other retail stores can. Currently, these professional services are in Phase 2. The barber in Kingston, Joseph LaLima, who was operating illicitly did so from his home, having taken the Governor’s edict to work from home literally.

The barber told the New York Times: “‘He said do not open up your shops, barbershops, beauty parlors, nail salons, tattoo parlors,’ Mr. LaLima said on Friday, referring to the governor. ‘So I didn’t.’ Mr. LaLima, who spoke just after his release from a four-day hospitalization, began to get agitated. ‘It said you can work from home,’ he said. ‘678 Broadway is my home!’”

But for the barbering profession, Governor Cuomo’s position is that it is not possible to socially distance while cutting or styling hair. According to the New York Times, the barber is being investigated by the Ulster County District Attorney: “The Ulster County district attorney’s office sees the matter differently: It has launched an investigation into whether Mr. LaLima violated public health laws, a criminal offense, and whether any of his clients may face penalties. ‘This kind of flouting of the rules is unacceptable, and it puts lives in danger,’ said Patrick K. Ryan, the Ulster County Executive. ‘We are taking it very seriously.’”

Outdoor Dining

County Executive Molinaro did provide guidance on outdoor dining at restaurants, especially in light of this holiday weekend: “While the state does not yet permit restaurants to host outdoor dining, County parks have picnic tables available for families to enjoy this weekend; residents will find social distancing measures in place around these tables.”

Safety First

The reopening comes with many new safety requirements. All businesses, including essential businesses, must develop a COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan. A COVID-19 template for a plan has been published by New York State. This plan does not need to be submitted to a state agency for approval but must be retained on the premises of the business and must made available to the New York State Department of Health (DOH) or local health or safety authorities in the event of an inspection.

The Dutchess Business Notification Network outlined this point about OSHA: “The US Department of Labor has adopted revised policies for enforcing OSHA’s requirements with respect to coronavirus as economies reopen in states throughout the country. The revised policies cover increased in-person inspections at all types of workplaces, and the enforcement policy for recording cases of coronavirus.” That OSHA policy can be found here.

Businesses wondering about what Phase they are in can use this new Lookup Tool from New York State, which includes a “Regulation Wizard” that links a reader with the relevant category’s regulations. To get an idea of how a retail business must comply with this new plan, click here to read the COVID-19 regulations, which include social distancing right of way in an isle, or barriers if social distancing cannot happen between employees or customers. For a bakery, for instance, click here for their COVID-19 regulations.

As for testing, employees of essential businesses or businesses opening in Phase 1 are eligible for COVID-19 testing. Testing sites can be found here.

Future Phases

Governor Cuomo has said there is a 14 day minimum between phases, due to the incubation period of the virus. As of 5/18/2020, “he did not clarify his remarks on the parameters being shortened to allow regions to move into the next phase before the 14 day minimum,” according the Dutchess Business Notification Network.

Phase 2:
Professional Services
Retail
Administrative Support
Real Estate / Rental & Leasing

Phase 3:
Restaurants / Food Services

Phase 4:
Arts / Entertainment / Recreation
Education

Reopening Resource Links For Businesses

Business COVID-19 Reopening Plan With New Safety Measures Template

Business Lookup Tool With Regulation Wizard For New York State

New York State’s Essential Business List and Guide

New York State’s PAUSE Enforcement Task Force

New York’s Phases For Reopening

New York State’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on New York Forward and Business Reopening

CDC Guidelines For Preparing Small Business and Employees For The Effects Of COVID-19

Dutchess Business Notification Network

New OSHA Policy COVID-19 Information

COVID-19 Testing Sites