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"It all hits you so hard and so fast," Wu Chow owner Stuart Thomajan said. (Stephanie Schwartz)
A few months later, Thurmann and his sons added a screen porch for customers. The Roberts family business went on to become an Austin-area institution, and the family added restaurants in Round Rock and at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Two weeks ago, the Salt Lick restaurants shut their dining rooms and switched to take-out-only service after Austin officials ordered closures to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
Thurman's son Scott Roberts, who now runs the business, says it is the toughest challenge they have faced.
"We've been through oil embargoes in the '70s," he says. "We've been through recessions. But nothing compares to not being able to actually open up."
Roberts believes the Salt Lick restaurants will make it through the crisis, but he thinks many other restaurants will not be that fortunate.
"It is a shame, because it's not because of what they were doing," he says. "They were viable businesses when this started."
The $2.2 trillion federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was signed on Friday and is the single largest economic relief package in U.S. history, will include support for restaurants. Restaurant owners as well as their lawyers, accountants, bankers and insurers have been scrambling to understand the financial support offered to individual restaurants.
The bill will provide significant aid. The question is whether it will come quickly enough for restaurants to both support their employees and keep the infrastructure that will allow them to reopen when it is considered safe.
"It's going to help, no question," says Salt Lick Chief Financial Officer Silver Garza.
He says that after days of trying to interpret conflicting information from various sources, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released guidance and an application yesterday, making his path clearer.
"I'm a little more optimistic than I was earlier in the week," he says. "Now it's a function of: let's get it in and see how long it takes them to process it."
Garza says time is key. Restaurant owners need to make the next payroll.
The SBA will work with banks, which will collect information from owners and get the money to them.
Garza is glad he will be able to apply through the company's bank. He said he has been trying to apply on the SBA site for a $10,000 bridge loan, and the site has been overloaded at all times of day, including late at night.
Emily Williams Knight, CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association, says she has concerns about the SBA being able to process all of the loan requests. Overall, however, she says the bill is "a very aggressive step to get money into the hands of our restaurants."
Restaurant owners will be able to borrow up to 250% of the average monthly payroll cost they had in 2019, up to a maximum of $10 million. Loan money used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest and utilities over an eight-week period will not need to be paid back. The remaining amount can be paid back over the next 10 years, at an interest rate of not more than 4%.
Businesses that have had to close or have had sales drop more than 50% will have the option of taking a tax credit instead, which would cover 50% of employee salaries, up to $10,000 per employee.
Knight agrees that rapid payment is vital.
"We've had so many restaurants already close," she says.
Stuart Thomajan, partner in three Austin restaurants, has spent long days trying to work out his best move. He says he is getting emails about CARES from every lawyer, accountant and insurer in his business circles.
He closed his dine-in services at Swift's Attic, Wu Chow and Guild just before it became mandated and then stopped take-out service when he decided it, too, posed unacceptable health risks. He expects to be able to reopen, though he has concerns about lingering risks associated with gathering in groups as well as possible requirements for physical distancing between customers. For now, he has furloughed his employees.
"It's shattering," he says, adding that he sees his staff almost as family. "I have employees that have been with me for 10 years, eight years, six years."
He says keeping employees on the payroll would be possible if he knew how long it would take to receive money. The drop in revenue has been immediate for restaurant owners, leaving a gaping hole.
"It all hits you so hard and so fast," he says. "The speed at which this happens is mind-boggling."
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Austin FC couldn't find the stamina to fight off a 2-0 loss against LAFC for their inaugural match on Saturday.
The match, which saw No. 21 Austin FC go head-to-head with No. 2 LAFC in Los Angeles, was broadcast nationally on FOX and FOX Deportes.
Salute the support. 👏
It's only the beginning for @AustinFC. pic.twitter.com/TduorqYr2y
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 18, 2021
Eleven players took the stage as Austin FC players for the first time, with five starters making their MLS debut. "Ringleader" Alex Ring took the captain's armband and wore it well. The defensive midfielder could be seen leading his teammates through their first ever match, but it wasn't enough to stage an Austin takeover in LA.
In the signature style of Head Coach Josh Wolff, the team played with quickness and intensity, nearly connecting on several fast breaks. It was harder for them to stay in front, however, something that Wolff credits with quick decision making and a tough LAFC defense.
"We have a quick attacking team, but I think when you make quick attacks and it fizzles it's just about some decision making," Wolff said. "Are we in position to finish attacks? If not, can we reestablish our attack and get stuff better?"
The club was given some generous breaks from No. 2 LAFC, who had one or both of their star DPs out for the half. While forward Diego Rossi is out for the entire match due to a hamstring injury, Carlos Vela was accidentally pulled too soon on what turned out to be a miscommunication.
"He gave us the sign that he needed to come off," LAFC Head Coach Bob Bradley said on broadcast. "I can't say more than maybe it's my fault."
LA pulled some dramatics and slowly gained more possession throughout the half, but ATXFC's defense wasn't initially as shaky as it seemed in preseason. Jhohan Romana has pulled his weight in getting the ball out of goal, and a 34-year old Matt Besler held his own in center back.
As the second half commenced, however, it became clear that LAFC had the advantage over Austin's first major league team.
Goalkeeper Brad Stuver had his work cut out for him, fending off 24 shot attempts, 11 of which were on goal. He didn't have much time to prepare, either: in the first 30 seconds of play, Stuver had already made a save to keep the match 0-0.
LAFC finally connected in the 61st minute of play as Corey Baird shot one into the bottom right corner. The team capitalized off their momentum and put one past Stuver a second time, drawing roars of approval from the LAFC crowd.
While some last-minute attempts from Jon Gallagher and others were made, Austin FC didn't have the endurance to bring a tie. After seven additional minutes of stoppage time, the club lost their first match 2-0.
While the scoreboard tells one story, Wolff said that the team did well considering the skill of LAFC and the pressure of their club debut.
"We've got to be realistic," Wolff said. "This is the first time this organization has been in front of TV with an opportunity to show itself and I think there were some promising moments. And we're going to maximize those and continue to try to develop those, but there's lots to build on."
The team may have lost, but it still won the support of thousands of Verde fans, dozens of which made it to watch their team's first match. When Stuver and the team made it to bthe stadium, Los Verdes fans were already there to show support, and Stuver said his wife saw the same back in Austin.
"The moment that we pulled into the stadium, we saw Black and Verde fans cheering us on as we got to the stadium," Stuver said. "During warm up, you can just look around and see different groups sitting in different sections of the stadium and it's just truly amazing to see the support in our first game. We know that we want to give the fans everything, because this we play for the city and we play for them."