Robert Martin, owner of the Anoka restaurant Cork, knows COVID-19 can be deadly.
âOur grandma died two weeks ago from COVID, so we know itâs real,â he said Dec. 18. âWe understand 100%.â
But with mounting financial pressure from being closed to in-person dining for the second stretch this year, Martin joined a coalition of businesses across the state that reopened Wednesday, Dec. 16, in defiance of Gov. Tim Walzâs executive orders.
âWeâve got family. Weâve got staff. We have to feed people too,â Martin said. âIâm frustrated. Iâm angry. Iâm hurt. I donât know what else to do.â
Clarkfield Café plans to fully open Friday with other businesses in Minnesota, AG warns against doing so
Elsie’s Café, in Clarkfield, a town of about 850, is planning to fully open Friday in defiance of Gov. Tim Walz s executive order barring restaurants from indoor dining. 6:11 pm, Dec. 16, 2020 ×
Clarkfield, Minnesota, locator map
CLARKFIELD Two days before Gov. Tim Walz shut down in-person dining at Minnesota restaurants in November, Natasha Lynne bought Elsie’s Café in Clarkfield.
She had been managing it since August of last year but decided to buy it from the city of Clarkfield. She said the community has been supportive of her efforts to run the restaurant.
As many as 150 business owners across the state are pushing back against Gov. Tim Walz s four-week shutdown of in-person dining, fitness centers and youth sports, questioning the metrics used and preparing to defy his executive order.
Lisa Monet, co-owner of Lakeville-based Alibi Drinkery and Alibi at Froggy Bottoms in Northfield, plans to open her Lakeville bar Wednesday. But she s far from the only one. Monet knows of 100-150 businesses across the state whose owners plan to open, ignoring Gov. Tim Walzâs decision to close in-person restaurant dining, bars, gyms, bowling alleys, theaters and other places until at least Dec. 18.
Business owners plan rebellion against Walz s executive order southernminn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from southernminn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Copy shortlink:
Defying an executive order by Gov. Tim Walz, a Minnesota bar owner reopened, calling the statewide four-week closing of drinking and dining establishments a slap to our face. I feel a responsibility for the life of my employees; certainly much more than the politicians do, said Jane Moss, owner of the Boardwalk Bar & Grill in East Grand Forks. I ve seen financial difficulty and mental health impact them, so I am doing this for them. They deserve much better than what Gov. Walz is doing to them.
Walz issued an executive order closing bars and restaurants, along with other entertainment venues, effective Nov. 20 through Dec. 18. With COVID-19 cases spiking in the state, he said the closings were necessary to keep Minnesotans healthy and prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.