Owner shuts down restaurant after surge in orders meant he couldn’t safely staff up
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ST. LOUIS (KMOV) — A restaurateur was forced to shut down during the ongoing social distancing requirements, but not because they didn’t have enough business.
Nick Bognar, owner iNDO and whose family owns Nippon Tei, said his carry-out business at iNDO was too successful.
Because of the spike in orders, Bognar said he had to bring in more employees, and at that point they weren’t able to follow social distancing guidelines.
He made the tough decision late last week, saying the choice was solely to protect his staff and their families. During the timeframe they were open for carry-out, Bognar said employees abided by CDC guidelines, meaning they wore gloves and took extra steps to sanitize. But at the end of the day, he said there were just too many people in the building at the same time.
He pointed out none of his staff or their families were sick and wanted to make sure it stayed that way.
“I don’t think I’d be able to forgive myself if that happened,” Bognar said. “I didn’t want to make anybody feel like they owe me to come into work and I don’t want to make anybody feel like keeping the restaurant open is more important than people’s health and safety.”
Bognar said he’ll re-open whenever he can do so safely.
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