Mugshots Grill & Bar owner Ron Savell – along with other restaurant owners in Hattiesburg – was hoping for some good news on reopening dining rooms after Gov. Tate Reeves recently allowed that measure under half capacity.
Unfortunately, that good news won’t come until at least next week, with Mayor Toby Barker announcing on Wednesday that he is delaying the opening of dining rooms after reviewing local COVID-19 data with less than favorable case numbers.
“We’re all stressed to the max, and to operate a full-service restaurant as a to-go restaurant just doesn’t work financially,” Savell said. “But we’re just trying to make every dollar we can right now.
“We all obviously want what’s right for the public, but at the same time we need to get back open – taking loans and government assistance that has to be paid back isn’t always the answer. Our margins are the smallest out there, so it’s tough enough without coronavirus or anything else. But obviously, we respect the mayor for hearing us out and all of us working on a plan together.”
In a Facebook post, Barker said he made the decision because the five-day average of new positive cases in Forrest County is at an all-time high, and eight of the 18 COVID-related deaths in the county have happened in the last eight days.
“I want restaurants open,” Barker said. “The owners and establishments they have built are more than eateries. They are economic drivers. They are institutions in our community, and many of them have taken massive losses to investments and livelihoods since this pandemic began.
“That isn’t lost on me, and quite frankly, it keeps me up at night. However, I can’t ignore the surge we are seeing in our own community.”
Hattiesburg officials will monitor more data throughout the weekend, with the hopes that numbers begin to level off or fall. If so, some type of communal dining could begin next week.
“I know that I cannot affect every element of how and to whom this disease spreads or does not spread in our community,” Barker said. “For a mayor, that’s a very helpless feeling. However, we do need to be willing to make rational decisions on when not to make an unsteady situation potentially worse.
“As we reopen our city, we will continue prioritizing public health while giving our businesses the space to operate creatively. With more interaction happening with one another, we will take actions to try and reduce the risk of community transmission.”
In addition, officials will continue to communicate with restaurant owners regarding the best way to move forward with reopening, and are working on updated safety and cleanliness guidelines.
“Obviously, this isn’t what we wanted to hear, but neither were the number of positive cases in Hattiesburg,” Savell said. “We don’t want to be the problem, but we’ve been hurt just like everybody else in this, and we just need to get open.
“I’ve got 11 Mugshot’s locations in Mississippi, and every one of them but Hattiesburg’s going to be open (Thursday), I think. But the CDC and the government – whether it’s state or federal – wanted 14 days of decreasing cases, and we’re seeing that every day is getting higher right now.”
Savell said as a father and a human being, he does understand the reason behind the mayor’s decision.
“There’s no right way to do any of this,” he said. “But I respect it and I understand it, and we had a great Zoom call the other night.
“Toby has to make a decision for the city – that’s what he’s elected for, and we respect it, and hopefully through the weekend we’ll get some good news. Then we can huddle up and talk about a reopening plan.”
In the meantime, Savell is encouraging residents to eat out and support restaurants.
“I don’t care who it’s with – national, local, whatever,” he said. “Everybody’s local in my eyes, because everybody works here and lives here, and they need revenue. National chain or mom and pop – just eat out, because we need you.”
