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Opinion: 3 questions restaurateurs, retailers must answer

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August is typically an exciting time for Springfield with the return of 30,000 college students and the start of another academic year. In the tumultuous year of 2020, it ushers in a new set of questions to address.

In April, the community wondered how long the stay-at-home orders would last. Businesses quickly developed curbside and delivery options and filed federal Paycheck Protection Program applications.

Come May, business owners asked themselves if it was feasible to open with 25% occupancy and social distancing requirements.

By June, the city was easing its occupancy restrictions to 50% and the query for businesses was how many days a week to open and what hours to maintain.

In July, the number of COVID-19 cases jumped considerably. Businesses were inquiring how to encourage customers to wear mandated face masks without sparking confrontations.

Now in August, here are three questions for the restaurant and retail industries:

1. Bars: What can be done to ensure more customer compliance?

There is no doubt that one of the most difficult groups to obtain compliance is college students. Large groups of young people congregating at Lake of the Ozarks earlier this summer was a glimpse of what can materialize when colleges begin classes this fall. Missouri State University reported 141 cases of COVID-19 after the first week of classes.

Bars and nightclubs with strong management offer more structure and staffing than house parties. However, it won’t be easy. Many college students consider themselves to be bulletproof and immune to the illnesses that infect others. Occupancy restrictions must be strictly adhered to – not only for the entire facility but also for popular areas like patios. Many establishments have placed tables or other obstacles to keep patrons from congregating at the bars. Signage must be pervasive to encourage as much voluntary compliance as possible.

Ultimately, owners are required to follow the ordinances established by the city and state for the safety of its patrons and the community. The two warnings issued by police the week of Aug. 17 were an important step to encourage those businesses to follow the social distancing noncompliance of its customers. In these challenging times, business owners should work closely with Health Department officials to implement new protocols and strategies for the safety of their patrons, staff and the entire community.

2. Restaurants: How can the public spaces be used more creatively?

Springfield City Council passed ordinances earlier this summer to allow businesses more flexibility in utilizing public spaces, such as sidewalks, parking lots, streets and gathering places, like Park Central Square.

A few businesses have successfully expanded outdoor seating options. Druff’s worked with the city to temporarily commandeer two parking spaces for a new parklet. JOB Public House converted a few parking spaces at its rear into an impressive new outdoor patio. Mudhouse Coffee created a new sidewalk cafe, and Cafe Cusco enlarged its outdoor dining on Commercial Street.

One of the most ideal times of the year for outdoor dining is fast approaching: September and October. Downtown businesses must develop new ways the Park Central Square mall (the square and its four spokes) can be reimagined on busier evenings by closing it off to vehicular traffic and adding temporary seating areas to complement existing sidewalk cafes and replace some of the capacities lost to social distancing. The changes implemented in the next few weeks could set an example for how these spaces could be transformed for 2021 and beyond.

3. Retail: What can downtown do to attract potential entrepreneurs?

Dozens of the region’s best artisans and crafters were not able to sell at Artsfest and Cider Days for the first time in 2020. The Downtown Springfield Association is inviting them and other local vendors to participate in a new storefront: Gailey’s Holiday Pop Up Shop. It will allow the artists and aspiring retailers the opportunity to rent space by the square foot for the Christmas shopping season, Oct. 1-Dec. 31, in a high-visibility location on Walnut Street. Gailey’s Holiday Pop Up Shop will be an affordable, low-risk model that can be expanded to other available storefronts as demand grows.

Center City also offers unique gap financing tools such as the Springfield Finance and Development Corporation and city of Springfield small business loans. Those programs can round out a conventional or Small Business Administration loan in second or third positions with more flexible terms.

The fall season will bring the next chapter in the coronavirus pandemic. Everyone has an important role to play in following health department guidelines, keeping our schools open and finding new ways to support local businesses.

Rusty Worley, executive director of Downtown Springfield Association, can be reached at 
rusty@itsalldowntown.com.

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