The state’s latest mandate on privately owned public meeting places during the spread of coronavirus says that take-out and delivery are the only restaurant services allowed. Dining in is banned.

The state Liquor Authority says it will provide bars with waivers to offer carry-out alcohol.

These rules took place at 8 p.m. Monday throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

“It was expected, but it became real today,” Bitters & Bones co-owner Johnny Williams said. “I don’t think anybody plans for this sort of thing.”

Lake Placid’s Top of the Park advertises a special Monday evening: the quarantini. (Enterprise photo — Elizabeth Izzo)

He said not many small-business owners have contingency plans for pandemics.

“The only people who would plan for this sort of thing are the Army Corps of Engineers and the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),” Williams said.

Business owners said they know it’s going to be hard.

“It’s terrible for everybody,” Downhill Grill co-owner Joe Lawless said in Saranac Lake. “It’s changed the world again.”

In Lake Placid, Palace Theatre co-owner Barbara Clark said it will be a “trickle-down effect” of difficulty for every level of society.

“It’s definitely difficult, it has a major influence on the bottom line,” said Katy Van Anden, manager of the Lakeview Deli in Saranac Lake, which already does a lot of take-out business. “I think it’s going to do that for every restaurant in the area and all over the country.”

“It’s going to be tough, and we’re going to lose a lot of money,” Waterhole bar co-owner Eric Munley said in Saranac Lake .

They mostly kept their eyes on the distant future, when they hope things will return to normal.

“We’re going to get through this, but it’s going to suck for a while,” Raquette River Brewing co-owner Mark Jessie said in Tupper Lake.

They said they will try to keep offering the same services they always have, but in different forms.

“Public health and safety is first and foremost, so it feels almost selfish to think about our business. But in reality, the economy is a very important part of the daily life of folks in this village,” Williams said. “It may sound corny and stupid, but as much as we can avoid disruption to folks’ daily lives and creature comforts, that’s what we want to do.”

Williams said Bitters & Bones counts on employees and customers, and that a lot of people count on them to stay open.

“This is unfortunate, but you know, we have to get on board,” State Theater owner Sally Strasser said in Tupper Lake. “I’ve been allocating my resources to try to weather this. The only thing I worry about is my employees.”

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Layoffs

Several of these business owners said they have or will have to lay off staff during this period.

Jessie said on Monday he laid off all his front-of-house staff. For now, he and co-owner Joe Hockey will run the brew house. The brewers are still working, but Jessie said their wholesale sales will likely take a dent as well.

He said some of his employees only worked a few hours a week, also holding full-time jobs. Others relied on their brewery paychecks.

“We’re telling them all to contact the state Department of Labor to see if they’re eligible to be on unemployment,” Jessie said.

The state is waiving the seven-day waiting period for Unemployment Insurance benefits for people who are out of work due to coronavirus closures or quarantines.

Lawless, who owns Downhill Grill with his brother Ken, said they will be the only two working the kitchen and register in the restaurant, while several drivers will make deliveries around town.

“We’ll do as much business as we can, as long as it’s worth doing it,” Lawless said. “If at some point there’s not enough business … maybe it’s vacation time.”

The Lakeview Deli has not made layoffs yet and has been keeping staff busy doing deliveries on extended hours.

“Our staff is like our family,” Van Anden said. “So if we can keep them employed, we will.”

At the movie theaters, staff who are no longer taking tickets and popping corn may be put to work doing long-overlooked building upkeep.

“Some of these young kids are just starting out on their own; they have apartments to pay for and young families,” Clark said.

She said she is trying to take advantage of this time and help them earn money by hiring them to clean, paint and change light bulbs.

“I’m trying to look out for my staff,” she said.

Strasser said she is in a relatively good place to weather the coming weeks because she owns the theater building. She runs it with her husband and one full-time manager, whom she hopes she can continue to employ doing upkeep.

Williams said he hopes his bar’s delivery accommodations will keep his staff employed. However, Bitters & Bones may have to make some layoffs. Since there are no patrons, there is nothing for front-end staff to do.

Munley said he’s most concerned about paying his employees.

“We’re trying to think of alternative work opportunities for them,” he said. “If the shutdowns are going to be a week, it might not be that bad, but if it’s eight weeks, I’m going to have to turn my power off to stop accruing bills.”

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Waterhole events

Munley said he had a busy March planned for live music at the Waterhole, and all those events have been canceled.

“We heard the CDC said no gathering of more than 50 people,” he said. “We can’t run 90% of our events with less than 50 people. It’s absolutely crushing to our bottom line.”

Munley said this will likely be one of the toughest financial environments to navigate.

“I’ve only owned the business for four years,” he said. “I was in eighth grade for 9/11. During the (2008) recession I was in college. This is the first situation where I have complex fiances. If we end up closing for two weeks or a month, that can change our entire outlook of owning this place for the next 20 years.”

As of Monday afternoon, Munley said he was still waiting to hear from the state Liquor Authority on what exactly his business can do during the shutdowns. He said he wasn’t entirely sold on the idea of take-out alcohol.

“There’s a reason why you can’t walk out of a bar with a drink,” he said. “Are they telling us we can sell closed bottles to go?”

He said he’d likely have to sell drinks at a higher cost.

“It’s a nice touch, but I don’t see it changing things,” he said.

The one silver lining Munley addressed was the timing. The shutdown comes during the slower part of the year for many Saranac Lake bars — after Winter Carnival and before the busy summer season.

“If it happened in July and August, it would be devastating,” he said.

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“Terrible for the movie (and restaurant) industry”

The major shutdowns of dine-in eating and movie theaters are expected to have lasting impacts on the economy, and the movie industry.

Raquette River Brewing already does growler take-outs, and the Fusion Street Wood Fired Pizza truck will be operating outside as well.

Bitters & Bones will do delivery-only meals from 4 to 10 p.m. Williams requested that people call in and pay electronically. He said he has ordered growlers and 5,000 to-go cups with lids. People can order beer in bottles and cans, wine and even mixed drinks.

“We’re really trying to make this as easy a transition as possible,” Williams said.

Lakeview Deli extended its delivery hours from just lunchtime to all day until 7 p.m. Van Anden said she plans to be able to deliver to all of the Tri-Lakes, if staff is available.

The deli is offering a humorous quarantine special, too. The “Staycation” on Monday’s menu came with a optional $2.50 addition of a Corona beer and a roll of toilet paper.

Toilet paper has been in short supply, as stocks of it have been bought up in stores. Van Anden said the deli already had a toilet paper stock built up.

“We have cases and cases and cases,” she said, adding that the deli would not run out.

Movies have also been in short supply as production companies hold back release or production on their blockbusters, not wanting to release a movie that can’t make its money back at the box office.

“This is terrible for the movie industry,” Clark said.

Strasser said Disney has been favoring releasing films on streaming services over the theater, and she hopes this does not become common practice. She said she hopes people come back out to the movies after the pandemic.

“Your house gets really small after a certain amount of time in it,” Strasser.

Clark said she has thought up some “gimmicks” to help the town when the Palace reopens, such as offering discounted tickets to people who bring food for the food pantry.

“We’ll get through this,” she said.

Strasser said she plans to order take-out from local restaurants to keep patronizing those businesses during this difficult time. She also suggested buying gift certificates for restaurants or theaters, which can be used after state regulations are lifted.

“I think we’re very lucky for being up in the North Country because we have such a great sense of community here,” Strasser said. “I can’t think of a better place to weather this.”