Lacey Diner Won’t Stop Indoor Dining; Do You Agree With Owner?

I am not sure if you are aware but there is some trouble going on in Lacey Township these days.

Lacey's Lakeside Diner has continued to host indoor dining SINCE EARLY JUNE despite being given 10 tickets from the police. The owner, Brian Brandisi, has also been cited twice.

When restaurants were originally ordered to close in March, Brandisi did listen and even used the time to renovate his restaurant. Shortly after, he started offering delivery and curbside pickup....but it wasn't pulling in enough revenue.

May I make a point: I'm not saying it is easy. But you are not the only business that is stuck in this position. Maybe restaurants are not allowed to open indoor dining yet because if germs get on the food that people are ingesting, the harmful organism is INSIDE our systems and it is all over.

So when he decided to open his dining room, he only allowed there to be a 25% capacity which is approximately 16 diners.

He was first greeted with a $1,000 fine and then received an order from the state Department of Health that ordered him to stop serving diners indoors or he could be served with, "criminal sanctions and/or civil penalties."

Just another point:  Isn't racking up citations that cost at least $1,000 each also destroying the chance of keeping your business afloat? If you play by the rules, it increases your odds for success.

Brian has since made a comment to APP.com and he said that, "the governor's executive order is an infringement on his constitutional rights as a business owner."

Brian also added that all 10 of his employees take their temperatures before starting the day and customers must go through a temperature check before entering. Plus, the diner is cleaned every single week and hand sanitizer is readily available.

"If we open up our restaurants safely, if we do the proper thing, it's just as safe as Walmart being open. It's just as safe as Home Depot being open," said Brindisi in a statement made to The Asbury Park Press. "And we have just as much need to be open and conduct our business as any other store."

One more point: I do see what he is saying. People are in closer quarters when visiting the dentist and you are exposed to more germs when entering a Target or Walmart. But we don't know what health professionals are saying behind the scenes....therefore, we may not know "the why" behind our Governor's choices. 

I don't agree with Brian's way of going about things but I do see that there are points on both sides.

BUT.....I have to ultimately side with the government because human life is at stake. The pandemic has been frustrating for EVERYONE one way or another and pushing back like this will honestly just prolong the process and the rules even longer.

Do you agree? Or do you side with Brian?

Take a look at the original article covering this story at APP.com.