Mask Up, Knoxville!
It's no secret that the new mask regulation has sparked controversy across Knox County, and that food businesses have seemingly taken sides.
On July 1, the Knox County Board of Health issued the “COVID-19 Face Covering Regulation.” The Knox County Tennessee website summarizes the regulation:
“On July 1, the Knox County Board of Health voted to issue an order requiring community members to wear face coverings in most public, indoor spaces. The order is slated to go into effect July 3 and will be assessed at each Board of Health meeting moving forward. Children under 12 years of age and those with certain medical conditions are exempt. Places of worship, public schools as well as state and federal government facilities are excluded. The intent of the order is to increase face covering usage and slow the spread of COVID-19.”
This regulation has sparked great controversy; some are in favor of this mandate, while others have expressed disapproval. Local Knoxville food businesses were, and continue to be, vocal about their views regarding the mandate.
Among the dissenters was Bart Fricks, the chief operating officer for Copper Cellar family of restaurants, which is owned by Mike Chase. In an email to staff dated July 2, 2020 and shared in the Masks Up Knoxville Facebook Group., Fricks expressed frustration with the mandate and wrote:
“After listening to the absurd Guidelines we’ve been given, Copper Cellar will go on with business as usual. Do not make a big deal about people coming in with or without masks. Hopefully most of the public will comply but I do not think our floor mgr’s have time nor should they be police of this. If guests should ask, why aren’t you requiring masks, get a floor mgr. The floor mgr should thank the guest for the question, politely let them know it’s a guideline we can’t enforce & see if there is something we can do to accommodate the guest asking the question.”
Fricks’ email has since been posted and shared by others on Facebook. In the post in the Masks Up Knoxville Facebook group, many of the comments condemned his message. Comments from the public include, “this is so upsetting. Blatant noncompliance and disregard for others” and another reads, “They do not seem to put the heath of their employees or customers first...They will not get a cent from me.”
In addition to backlash from the public, Copper Cellar employees have publicly expressed their discontent with the company’s handling of health and safety guidelines; some employees even quit. Diandra Heck, who had been working for Copper Cellar for seven years, was one of them. Back in May, Calhoun’s in Turkey Creek had started seating people at the bar before it was legal to do so. When Heck expressed concern, a manager told her that she could either become a server, which would likely mean taking a pay cut, or comply. She expressed her frustrations to Compass Knox, “‘they’re treating us like we’re disposable.’”
In contrast, The French Market Crêperie posted on Facebook on May 19, well before the mandate was put in place, encouraging people to wear masks. On their Facebook page, they included a link to the article, “Businesses can legally deny service if people do not abide by mask guidelines,” from Wate 6 On Your Side, with the caption “Not required by us but you should wear a mask, and still no shirt, no shoes, no service!” The post received both positive and negative attention. One individual praised French market Crêperies in her comment, “Thank you French Market for your diligence in keeping everyone safe!” Another commented, “Guess I won’t be shopping local…if people want to wear [a mask], go for it. But they should also be allowed to choose if they DON’T WANT to as well!”
On July 13th, the owner of OliBea in the Old City in Knoxville, Jeffrey DeAlejandro, posted a statement on the restaurant’s instagram account @olibea_oldcity that the restaurant would be closing its dining room on July 15th, as a result of his dedication to “prioritize the health and safety of [ObliBea’s] family and [its] beloved community over profit.”
Although he does not specify any specific instances that resulted in his decision to close the dining room, in his statement, DeAlejandro implies that his decision was driven by people’s decisions not to wear masks. He asserted that “the mandate to wear a mask is not a political statement, and he asked his audience to “please respect your favorite restaurants enough to #maskup.” He further explained, “we cannot police your decisions and certainly do not want this responsibility, but we can choose to do our part to protect our team, our community and ultimately Knoxville’s economic viability.”
While Knox County appears to be divided about whether one ought to wear a mask, our team at Real Good Kitchen is not. As a start-up business, we are pro-business, but we are also pro-health. We recognize the overwhelming challenges that food businesses are facing now, trying to balance business survival with the health of their staff and their customers. It is an almost impossible choice. While COVID-19 is still a threat to public health, we implore all of those who can safely wear a mask to do so. It’s a simple act that limits the spread of the virus and protects everyone. We stand in support of service industry workers who are on the front lines of this pandemic, often without health care benefits. If we all do our part, the businesses we love can stay open and our community can stay safe.