>> STEVE SPRIESTER: LET’S BE FRIENDS THE MOTTO OF A PLACE CALLED THE FRIENDLY SPOT.
IT IS ONE OF THOSE PLACES THAT
IF YOU’VE BEEN TO KING WILLIAM
AND THAT NEIGHBORHOOD YOU KNOW
EXACTLY WHERE
IT IS JODY NEWMAN AND HER
HUSBAND RUN THE FRIENDLY SPOT.
SHE JOINS US
NOW LIVE. JODI THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US. I KNOW THAT WITH
THE WITH THE CLOSED CLOSURE
GOING ON A LOT OF
BARS ARE JUST TRYING TO FIGURE
OUT HOW TO COPE. HOW ARE YOU
GUYS DOING.
>> YOU JUST MENTIONED THERE SAFELY SERVING IF BARS ARE ALLOWED TO OPEN
SOMETIME HOPEFULLY IN THE
IMMEDIATE FUTURE. WHAT WITH
THOSE REOPENINGS LOOK LIKE DO
YOU THINK.
>> TEXAS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION.
>> STEVE SPRIESTER: YOU HAVE BEEN ON THE ECONOMIC TRANSITION TEAM YOU’VE BEEN VERY VOCAL
THROUGHOUT THIS
WHOLE THING HOW MUCH IS THE BAR
INDUSTRY, THE HOSPITALITY
INDUSTRY I GUESS YOU WOULD SAY
HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT IS THIS
CLOSURE HAVING ON YOUR BUSINESS
AND OTHER BUSINESSES IN SAN
ANTONIO ARE BARS NOT GOING BE
ABLE TO RECOVER FROM THIS SOME
OF THEM.
>> IN SAN ANTONIO, ONE APP EVERY 7.
SO WE SPECIFICALLY LUCKILY, WE HAVE BEEN HIT VERY HARD.
>> YOU CITE AT SOME OF THOSE
NUMBERS A LITTLE BIT EARLIER
JODI AT WHAT POINT IS IT JUST
GOING TO BE A FATAL BLOW TO A
LOT OF BAR OWNERS IN TOWN ARE
WE ARE READY AT THAT POINT.
>> AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT. WE’RE EITHER GOING TO.
>> WE SUCCEED.
>> OR WE’RE GOING TO CRASH
ACTION BIRD WITH I MEANT TO.
>> STEVE SPRIESTER: I WANT TO TALK ABOUT TURN UP THE LIGHTS WHICH IS HAPPENING TOMORROW
NIGHT BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT YOU
SEE YOUTH BELIEVE THERE’S SOME
WIGGLE ROOM IN THE GOVERNOR’S ORDERS WHEN IT COMES TO BAR AND WHEN IT COMES TO BARS THAT HAVE
KITCHENS IN YOU’RE
SEEING OTHER SIMILAR BUSINESSES
TO YOU IN THE STATE THAT ARE
OPEN RIGHT NOW.
>> SO THERE IS THERE IS SOME WIGGLE ROOM IN ITS NOT. IT’S ALL TYPE OF SITUATION.
I BELIEVE IN THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY I BELIEVE IN THE BEVERAGE COMMUNITY WE’RE GOING
TO DO RIGHT BY PEOPLE LIKE WE
HAVE.
>> NOW WE MENTIONED TURN UP THE LIGHTS A UNIFIED EFFORT BY BAR OWNERS ACROSS THE STATE CAN YOU
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT
THAT IS.
>> IT IS JUST A WAY FOR US TO SAY WE’RE STILL HERE WE’RE SO.
AND SAFELY SERVE.
OPERATORS ARE GOING TO BE SITTING INSIDE IF THEIR BUSINESSES AND WE JUST
WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE’RE
STILL HERE.
>> STEVE SPRIESTER: THE FRIENDLY SPOT AND SO MANY OTHER ENDEAVORS, I APPRECIATE YOUR
TIME JOE TO GET MY BEST TO
WELCOME BACK EVERY NIGHT AROUND
THIS TIME WE INTERVIEW RANGE OF
PEOPLE ABOUT THE PANDEMIC FROM
HEALTH EXPERTS TO THE MAYOR TO
THOSE WHO HAVE FIRSTHAND
KNOWLEDGE.
>> OF HOW THIS GLOBAL HEALTH
CRISIS IS AFFECTING OUR
COMMUNITY AND WE ARE CERTAINLY
AWARE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO
ARE HURTING OUT THERE AND
TONIGHT. WE’RE JOINED BY ROB
MARTINDALE WHO IS THE FOUNDER
OF BIG HOPS ROB THANK YOU FOR
BEING WITH US TONIGHT.
TALK ABOUT TURN UP THE LIGHTS,
IT’S SOMETHING THAT’S GOING TO
HAPPEN TOMORROW. FROM 6 UNTIL
10 O’CLOCK THE PURPOSE BEHIND
THIS.
>> IT WAS CREATED WITH THE
TEXAS BAR NIGHTCLUB ALLIANCE.
WE’RE PUSHING IT TO SHOW UNITY
AND SOLIDARITY WITH THE MAHER.
AND
NIGHTCLUBS HERON TAXES ARE ALL
ACROSS
THE STATE. WE WANT TO SHOW THE
COMMUNITY THAT WE’RE READY TO
OPEN BACK UP AND DO SO IN A
SAFETY PLAN IN PLACE. WHAT IS A GOOD LOOK LIKE FOR MOST BARS.
JUST LIKE AT THE TURN UP THE
LIGHTS TURN ON THE MUSIC.
WE ARE WE’RE GOING TO TURN UP
THE LIGHTS TURN UP THE MUSIC
WERE NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC WILL BE SERVING NOW ALL ALLOW
OUR EMPLOYEES THERE. I’M REALLY
JUST A AGAIN SHOW SOLIDARITY
WITH THE INDUSTRY AND THAT
WE’RE GOING TO SURVIVE THIS.
WE’RE ALSO WE ARE READY AND
HERE TO GO BACK TO SERVE THE
COMMUNITY. I THINK WE’VE HIT
WHAT 2 MONTHS SINCE.
>> THE FIRST CASE WAS DETECTED
IN SAN ANTONIO. IS THAT.
WHAT THOSE 2 MONTHS BEEN LIKE
FOR YOU TO BE CLOSED. >> A YES OR 55 DAYS AGO WE WERE
SHUT DOWN SO WE HAD TO FURLOUGH
ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES.
IMMEDIATELY I WE HAVE A 6 HOUR
NOTICE. AND WE’VE LOST ALL
AROUND SO. FOR US MARCH, 18
PREVENT THE ROAD I WENT.
ALSO IT’S BEEN TOUGH.
YOU KNOW WE’RE DOING OUR BEST
THE HOUSE IS IN A POSITION THAT
I WILL BE ABLE TO WEATHER THE
STORM BUT THERE’S PLENTY OF
OTHER SMALL BUSINESSES OUT
THERE AND OUR INDUSTRY THAT
MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO DO SO.
IT IS NOT WE ARE ON THE WRONG.
WHEN DO YOU THINK WE’RE GETTING
TO THE POINT WHERE WE’RE GOING
TO SEE I MEAN.
>> JODY THE OWNER OF THE
FRIENDLY SPOT TOLD US AT 6
O’CLOCK SHE THOUGHT WE WERE AT
ABOUT 30% OF THE BARS THAT ARE
CLOSED DOWN RIGHT NOW MAY NOT
BE ABLE TO REOPEN I MEAN IS
THERE A POINT OF NO RETURN.
FOR BIG HOPS.
>> I TRY TO THINK AT THAT POINT
WE HAVE A WAYS
TO GO. I WOULD SAY THAT 30% A
GOOD ESTIMATION. I MEAN IT
COULD BE WORSE IF THIS GOES ON
TO SAY ANOTHER MONTH OR 2 AND
OUR
START SKYROCKETING I DON’T KNOW
WHY NOW WE ENTER 2 MONTHS WORTH
OF EXPENSES AND WE’RE GOING
TO GET OUR GUT ALMOST BUSINESS
WILL BE ON IN A ROW.
>> I KNOW THAT YOU’VE BEEN
DOING A LOT OF WORK AT THE
STATE LEVEL TO TALKING TO THE
GOVERNOR. TRYING TO GET HIM TO
REOPEN BARS
ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC THAT THAT’S
GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE NEXT FEW
WEEKS HERE.
>> THROUGH
THE TEXAS
RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION.
>> AND THE TEXAS BAR AND
NIGHTCLUB WE SUBMITTED A
PROPOSAL TO THE GOVERNOR
WITH THE SAFETY PLAN IN PLACE
AND HOW WE CAN OPEN SAFELY TO
SERVE CANDY.
WHILE TAKING CARE OF THE
EMPLOYEES SAFETY WISE AND
CUSTOMERS. SO WE FEEL PRETTY
CONFIDENT THAT ITS BASE
YOU KNOW ON SCIENCE SPACE WITH
THE HELP EXPERT TURN TAXES.
20 OTHER BARS AROUND THE STATE
GOT TOGETHER TO PUT IT BUT ALL ALONG PLACE. SO WE THINK IT’S A
LOGICAL PLAN. AND WE THINK IT
WILL GET THEIR ATTENTION.
>> HOW BIG IS THIS INDUSTRY
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT IN SAN
ANTONIO, WE TALK ABOUT
HOSPITALITY AND YOU TALK ABOUT
THE SERVICE INDUSTRY.
>> THERE’S A 5,500 ARES.
THE NIGHT CLUBS THAT WERE
CLOSED ON MY HONOR ON
MARCH 20. SO ARE 75,000 PEOPLE
ARE TEXANS LOST THEIR JOB
TONIGHT.
YEAH, IT’S PROBABLY
RICK SALES REVENUE SINCE THEN
THEY’VE ESTIMATED IT’S OVER
620 MILLION WHICH EQUATES TO
ABOUT 42 MILLION IN LOST TAX
REVENUE TO THE STATE AS WELL.
BUT IT’S SIGNIFICANT.
TALK ABOUT THE BALANCING ACT
THAT YOU KNOW JUST BECAUSE YOU
OPEN DOESN’T MEAN PEOPLE ARE
GOING.
>> AUTOMATICALLY COME BACK.
SO IT’S GOING TO BE A BALANCING
ACT THAT YOU MAKE THE CUSTOMER
FEEL LIKE HE’S GOING TO BE IN A
SAFE ENVIRONMENT, CORRECT.
OUR SIDE WE’RE GOING TO DO
EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO MAKE
THEM
FEEL COMFORTABLE.
>> I EMPLOY IS WEARING MASK
LAWS HAND SANITIZER AT THE
FRONT DOOR THINGS LIKE THAT
SOCIAL DISTANCING HIM FROM A
INSIDE THE PREMISE AN HOUR AT
TIMES. WHAT DO YOU WANT ARIEL
BE SIGNIFICANT. WHAT YOU WANT
OUR VIEWERS TO TAKE.
>> WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU WANT THEM TO TAKE WITH THEM TONIGHT
AND MAYBE TOMORROW AS THEY
DRIVE AROUND THEY SEE SOME OF
THESE BARS WITH THE LIGHTS ON
IN THE MUSIC GOING.
>> I WANT EVERYONE TO
UNDERSTAND WE ARE STILL HERE
AND WE’RE READY TO RETURN AND
CERTAINLY SAFELY.
>> ROB MARTINDALE WITH BIG HOPS
I APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE