Doña Ana County restaurants bemoan second closing in four months
LAS CRUCES - La Posta de Mesilla, one of the oldest and most iconic restaurants in southern New Mexico, was eerily quiet Monday afternoon.
Most days, the inside of the 17,000-square-foot restaurant is buzzing with patrons enjoying fajitas, chile rellenos, margaritas and other Mexican favorites.
But on this day, chairs were stacked on top of tables inside and the only customers were seated at an outdoor dining area, each of the five patrons waiting for their entrees to arrive. Two were employees.
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At 2 p.m., the staff gathered for a photo to post on social media with the hashtag #letusserve, part of a statewide campaign organized by the New Mexico Restaurant Association to protest the state's latest health orders, which took effect Monday.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham last week announced indoor seating at restaurants would be prohibited moving forward. Restaurants are permitted to serve patrons outside and curbside and delivery service is still an option.
The new health order is intended to curb a rise in COVID-19 cases.
However, restaurant owners say they’ve gone to great lengths to make their establishments safe and that the governor has offered no evidence that New Mexico’s uptick in cases has anything to do with restaurant service.
"I recognize the tough spot the governor's in," said La Posta owner Tom Hutchinson, who's also on the board of the NMRA. "She's trying to balance the health and welfare of the citizens of this state while being aware of the economic impact of not opening."
'Lots of tears'
Restaurants had to adapt to curbside and delivery once before when the governor signed the first health order on March 24. On June 1, they could reopen at reduced capacity.
According to the NMRA, the food and beverage industry employs 82,000 people statewide. After the the initial health mandate, about 50,000 jobs were lost and only 20,000 of those positions were reinstated as of June 1.
Hutchinson said La Posta employed 110 full- and part-time employees with salaries ranging from minimum wage to $30 an hour before the shutdown. When restaurants were permitted to reopen last month, Hutchinson hired back 77 employees. On Monday, he sent home 65 employees.
Around the state:
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"There were lots of tears," he said.
The situation was similar at Double Eagle/Peppers on Monday, where General Manger Jerry Harrell broke down in tears when talking about the employees that might have to go back on unemployment.
"I don't know when they're coming back, or if they're coming back," he said.
The Mesilla steakhouse employs about 66 people.
An additional $600 in weekly jobless benefits provided by the federal government — which had been available during the first shutdown — ends in July.
More:Walmart reopens, disputes state's characterization of policy
Amber Saiz said she makes about $1,000 per month serving at Double Eagle. With dine-in service closing, that paycheck will all but disappear.
"We just sort of got back to making money again, trying to pay our bills back. Now we've got to wait and try to make things work," she said.
"Something needs to be figured out instead of closing," she added.
Failure to communicate
Hutchinson and Harrell each said what was different about this closure is communication between the restaurants and the governor.
Hutchinson said before the first closure, restaurant leaders had Zoom meetings with the governor's office. This time, the announcement came as a surprise.
Industry leaders could have offered solutions to the governor and helped mitigate concerns before closing dining areas, Hutchinson said.
"There's a lot of consequences closing down with three days notice," he said.
Harrell said he'd heard about a dining room closure coming down the pike, so he called the governor's office on July 4 and he said they denied the rumors.
"We can't just turn things off here. We bought fresh goods, fresh supplies, fresh produce and now I've got a produce cooler full of stuff, so I've invested all my money, I've got no return on investment," he said. "Either it's going to go in the trash or like we did last time we'll just give it to the employees."
Harrell said he's looking to lose about $26,000 in product.
Political implications
Marci Dickerson, who employs 140 people, owns both Game restaurants in town. Each has a large patio and the Game II is undergoing a remodel to become possibly the largest patio space in town.
She believes restaurants can clean and disinfect better than grocery stores, which have remained open throughout the pandemic, because they can better manage flow and customer contact.
More:Outdoor patios changing the way restaurants operate amid COVID-19
Dickerson said she thinks restaurants are being targeted because the state oversees their licensing and restaurant owners do not have the means to legally oppose the health order after having their operations restricted for three months.
“Our governor claims these shutdowns of our businesses are in order to save our people,” Dickerson said. “If this continues, when the pandemic is over will there be anything left to come back to?”
Republican lawmakers have been critical of the governor, saying her policies have amounted to picking winners and losers amid the economic fallout. A lawsuit over fines levied against any businesses found in violation of the state’s public health order also is pending before the state Supreme Court.
New Mexico Legislature candidates Beth Miller (House District 33), Luis Terrazas (House District 39) and Kimberly Skaggs (Senate District 36) — all Republicans — were at La Posta Monday to show support. Republican candidates Isabella Solis (state House District 37) and Yvette Herrell (US Congressional District 2) were at the Game II.
Las Crucen Debbie Bosley said she attended the protest at Game II because she wanted to support local businesses. She said she knows a few people in town who own “mom and pop” establishments and who do not have patio seating for customers to comply with the new health order.
Bosley said Lujan Grisham’s actions involving the orders have been political rather than in support of New Mexicans.
“If we don’t have the economy, we’re not going to have people,” Bosley said. “And if we don’t have the people, then who’s going to vote for her (Lujan Grisham).? Who’s going to put her back in office? Nobody.”
COVID-19 concerns
New Mexico has reported more than 15,000 virus cases since the pandemic began, with an additional 264 confirmed cases reported Monday. Doña Ana County reported 82 cases, the most of any county.
The death toll in the state is 548, including 11 in the county.
More:Coronavirus in New Mexico: Doña Ana County confirms 53 more COVID-19 cases, and 11th death
The governor last week said the tougher measures were necessary to keep the spread rate from increasing. Aside from prohibiting indoor dining and mandating face coverings, the public health order calls for all visitors to quarantine for 14 days.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Bethany Freudenthal can be reached at bfreudenthal@lcsun-news.com, 575-541-5449 or @bethanyfreuden1 on Twitter. Leah Romero is a fellow with the New Mexico Local News Fund and can be reached at lromero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on Twitter.
#LetUsServe
Doña Ana County restaurants that participated in the #LetUsServe campaign
- A Bite of Belgium
- Andele Restaurant
- Andele’s Dog House
- Chilitos Restaurant
- Dick's Café
- D.H. Lescombes Winery & Bistro
- Double Eagle Restaurant
- The Game I and II
- Hacienda de Mesilla
- Hooters
- Hot Stuff Restaurant
- Icebox Brewing Company
- La Posta de Mesilla Restaurant
- Lorenzo's Italian Restaurant of Las Cruces
- Lucky Dog Billiards
- Luna Rossa Winery & Pizzeria
- Pastaggio's Italian Cuisine & Pizza
- Pecan Grill & Brewery
- Pepper Pot
- Sushi Freak Las Cruces
- Valley Cafe