400 employees laid off as popular SC restaurant closes due to coronavirus
Home Team BBQ, a popular restaurant with locations in Columbia, Charleston and Colorado, announced it is closing indefinitely due to the spreading coronavirus and has laid off all its 400 employees.
Owner Aaron Siegel shared an emotional video on social media Wednesday announcing the restaurant’s closure and the layoffs.
“It has been super hard to balance the benefits for our employees with the idea that we need to keep money in the bank account to make sure that when this passes, that we have the resources to open our doors back up,” Siegel said in the video. “We need to get this thing going once it passes. We need to go home, stay safe and make sure that when the climate demands, that we’re able to come back, open our doors, put our employees back to work, put their benefits back in place, serve our customers and kickstart this economy back up.”
Siegel said his company felt it was in the best interest of public health for the restaurants to close indefinitely.
Home Team BBQ has five restaurant locations, including one in Five Points in Columbia, three in Charleston and one in Aspen, Colorado.
Small businesses locally and across the country have borne financial strain in recent days as communities across the United States have gone into near shutdown in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
This week, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster ordered all restaurants and bars across the state to cease in-house service beginning Wednesday, recommending they turn to takeout and curbside delivery of orders.
“I know there are tons of people going through the same thing” as Home Team, Siegel said in his video. “There are some people out there than can’t do what we’re doing today. I just think that in the name of public health and trying to put a stop to this thing on the front end, that we can come back quicker on the back end.”
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MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
The coronavirus is spreading in the United States. Officials are urging people to take precautions to avoid getting sick, and to avoid spreading the disease if they do contract it.
Click the drop-down icon on this card for more on the virus and what you should do to keep yourself and those around you healthy.
What is coronavirus?
Coronavirus is an infection of the respiratory system similar to the flu. Coronaviruses are a class of viruses that regularly cause illnesses among adults and children, but this outbreak has spawned a new disease called COVID-19, a particularly harsh respiratory condition that can lead to death.
Health officials believe COVID-19 spread from animals to humans somewhere in China. It spreads among humans by physical person-to-person contact, including via coughs. That’s why health officials urge sick individuals to avoid contact with other people.
For more information, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms are similar to the flu and include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.
How can I stop the spread of the coronavirus?
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
If you develop symptoms similar to the coronavirus, you should seek medical attention. Stay home from work or school and avoid contact with others. It can take up to 14 days after coming into contact with the virus to develop symptoms.
COVID-19 is a new condition and there’s much about the disease we still don’t understand. For now, taking precautions is the best way to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
