Local Business Owners Say They Need Government Support In Order To Stay Afloat During Coronavirus Pandemic
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Cases of COVID-19 continue to surge across our country. While some states are on lockdown, Romain Zago, the owner of Mynt Lounge in Miami Beach said they have been struggling.
"There is no help yet from the government. There is no coming back if we shut it down," said Zago.
While Florida Mayors are calling for Governor Ron Desantis to do more to fight COVID-19, Zago said they have gone the extra mile to make sure their night club is safe for the public.
"People are not wearing masks in house parties but they are in nightclubs. We have a prepared AC, prepared manager to enforce those protocols and the hygiene to really keep the place as clean as possible," said Zago.
Meanwhile, over to Coral Gables, Rafael Almendral the co-owner of Red Koi restaurant said since the beginning of the pandemic they were barely making the cut to survive.
"It has been very difficult. We have been trying to cope and we have been trying to do the best we can to maintain our employees here because putting them out of work is a tragedy for their families,"
While many iconic businesses have closed down on Miracle Mile, Almendral has kept his restaurant going. He said by thinking out of the box.
"We have had to expand our menu because we were only doing Shushi, so if people came in and they wanted to have a steak and wanted to have risotto, they went somewhere else."
Until Almendral said he brought in Chef Willy Hernandez who has stirs up Caribbean fusion plates like the famous Bang Bang shrimp and the Ribeye Risotto.
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"We are always concentrated in having the freshest ingredients," said Chef Willy Hernandez.
While cooking up a storm to say running, Almendral said he would hate to see a business that has been going strong for 13 years shut its doors.
"We are still here, but we need support from the government and a stimulus check to pay our employees.