PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE THE WORST IS BRINGING OUT OUR BEST
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s I write this column today, May 1, I was hoping I would have better news to report to all of you. (And who knows? By the time you read this, we may have better news.) But since March 17, our businesses have been shut down and we have been shut out of our livelihoods. Never in a million years have I ever envisioned the complete shutdown of our members. This has been an unprecedented calamity for our industry. Since the day we shut down and every day after, I have heard from many of our members about the hardships they are facing and it’s absolutely heartbreaking. I wish that I had the answers that our members are seeking. As a small business owner myself, I feel your pain. I’m in the same boat trying to figure out how to pay all the bills that are still coming in on either a drastically reduced income or no income all. Over these last months, the TLW has come up with different relief proposals and suggestions for the governor’s office on how to reopen our businesses responsibly and safely for the good of our customers and employees alike. We have received silence in return. We continue to urge our members to follow the Safer at Home order as we continue to find a mutually viable solution for reopening our businesses. Be assured that the TLW is not going to remain silent. We have fought from day one to make our members’ voices heard as essential business owners in their communities. We realize that one size does not fit all, especially in an association like ours that ranges from the 10-stool small bar to the 500-room resort, but we’re doing our best to come up with what we think are workable plans to get our doors open, and us back to work responsibly and safely. Some of the procedures that we have come up with were criticized as being impractical for business, but these procedures were pulled from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. We did not think these up on our own. As a matter of fact, as I write this, some states have already decided to open with similar guidelines. For instance, some are opening with 25% capacity and social distancing; others are opening at 50% capacity. Most are requiring masks for servers; some are requiring gloves. Others are not. All are requiring social distancing with tables spread from 6 to 10 feet apart. Disposable menus, single-service condiments and no self-serve items are also common solutions. When we reopen, it’s going to be a whole new world. We will all have to adjust to new policies and procedures.
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Be assured that whatever happens moving forward, the TLW is going to be at the forefront of fighting for your rights as a small business owner. We have written the governor and our legislators numerous times. We have testified before legislative committees and filed amicus briefs. We have put proposals forward and banded together with other associations. Once this is over and our doors are open again, our job is not done. We’re going to be fighting to get you some relief for your businesses and back on the road to recovery. As challenging as these last months have been, it has brought out the best in our members and our association. We are struggling to keep a roof over our families’ heads, and trying to pay the bills as best we can on minimal or no income. But despite that, our members have continued to reach out to their communities as well, feeding those in need, our first responders and hospital workers. TLW members never cease to amaze me. Even in their darkest hours, they reach out to help those around them. On a final, extremely sad note, I got word that a great friend of mine and everybody in the Tavern League has passed away. Dan “Tuna” Frisch succumbed to cancer on April 30 after a valiant battle. If you never met Tuna, you missed out on one of life’s great pleasures. When I entered the Tavern League way back when, Tuna was one of the first friends I ever made and remained a lifelong friend. Tuna brought that spark of life, that sense of fun and that wisdom of being in the bar business wherever he was. The owner of Heinie’s Tavern in Mauston, TLW third district director and Juneau County Tavern League president are among his many past titles, but great friend is the one I choose to remember him by. We send our deepest condolences and sympathy to his wife, Sherry “Cupcake” Frisch, and his family. God speed, Tuna, you will be greatly missed. Tavern League conventions will never be the same. Save me a seat at the bar until we meet again, my friend. Salute!
Chris Marsicano TLW President
www.tlw.org
