Andiamo Owner Advises Fellow Restauranteurs Not To Reopen Against Orders

Andiamo owner Joe Vicari held a Zoom meeting Thursday (December 3), telling fellow restaurant owners not to resist state orders to close.

Vicari, whose group operates many restaurants in Michigan, recently wrote a letter to fellow restauranteurs to “band together and fight this closure. Our industry cannot survive another long-term closure. We are stronger if we stand together and use our strength (to) fight back.”

Originally, Vicari called for restauranteurs to attend an informational meeting Thursday afternoon at the Andiamo Banquet Center.

But he had such a large response that he opted to move the meeting to a virtual format instead. The Zoom call maxed out at 100 participants before the meeting could start, MLive reported.

Vicari’s letter announced a plan, anticipating Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “pause” would extend past December 8, to hold a press conference announcing restaurants would reopen December 9.

Now, however, Vicari says that reopening despite state orders that could remain in place is a “losing situation.”

Conversations with lawyers convinced Vicari that the possible consequences to reopen against state orders wouldn’t be worth it, according to MLive.

“At the end of the day, I’m telling my fellow restauranteurs not to go against the ordinances because you’re going to get shut down, (and) it’s going to cost a lot more money than you want it to cost,” Vicari said on the Zoom call on Thursday.

Earlier this week, Michigan healthcare officials said it would be “reckless” to reopen too soon.

On Wednesday (December 2), a judge denied efforts by the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association to overturn the ban on indoor dining.

Although it was not immediately clear whether Whitmer would extend the indoor dining ban and other closures, she said during a COVID-19 update Thursday afternoon that an extension is “sadly possible.”

Officials will continue to monitor COVID-19 data daily, she said.

Photo: Getty Images