ALTUS – These days Scot Simco doesn’t look forward to the first of the month. Like most Americans, the longtime Altus restaurateur knows when that day arrives, he will be paying bills.
In the past, this was never fun, but manageable. However, now during the days of a global pandemic, that chore has become outright unbearable for the owner of Val’s Restaurant & Pub (800 N Main St.) in Altus.
While his first thoughts were with his family and employees, Simco must contend with the ever-present cost of business – insurance, workers’ compensation, licenses, fees, and permits.
“Those fees didn’t decrease during COVID,” said Simco. “They all stayed the same. Those, no matter what happens in our business, continue.”
Now in the 10th month of what has become a pandemic, Simco and other small business owners find themselves in an unenviable position of having to balance the concern for the health of their community with the concern for the future of their businesses.
“It’s a struggle every day,” Simco said. “It’s scary. We worry about our customers. We’ve lost customers that have passed away. This is a very heartbreaking, very sad thing that is going on.”
Simco saw it was going to be a difficult path to navigate early in the process when nonessential businesses had to shut down for more than a month. Even as the bills kept coming, he found a way to pay them and keep his restaurant going by offering curbside and delivery.
However, Simco doesn’t think Val’s could handle another shutdown. Staying afloat operating at about one-third the regular business, Simco worries that President-Elect Joe Biden will shutter Val’s Restaurant & Pub.
“Biden had said at one point during his campaign that he’s going to close everybody up again,” Simco said. “Well, we can’t afford another closedown. I don’t know how many businesses have closed down across the United States because of that. But we would be one of those fatalities.”
Last week Oklahoma saw record numbers of positive tests for COVID-19. That included more than 4,500 on Saturday, which shattered the previous single-day record. Another 2,197 new COVID-19 cases were recorded Monday, pushing the state’s seven-day new case average to more than 2,000. State health officials said they’re discussing the possibility of new restrictions if cases continue to spike.
Businesses like Val’s are doing everything they can to keep from being closed but also following the guidelines that have been given to them by local and national agencies. That includes limiting capacity to 50%, wearing masks, and maintaining mandatory social distancing.
“I don’t think it’s safe right now to pack our restaurant with people sitting or standing and walking around and talking to everybody,” said Simco. “You don’t have to have a mask on when you’re having a drink or you’re eating. But I don’t want to be that place where you walk in the door and there’s 100 people in there standing around close together listening to some great music. It’s not safe.”
It’s not just customers who Simco has lost to the extremely contagious virus. It has also taken close friends. Therefore, he knows the dangers of COVID-19 on both the health of the community and the business sector.
“There are two restaurants here in town that have closed up for a little bit because of COVID,” he said. “It’s just tough. We have to get over this somehow. I’m not a doctor, but we have to get moving and get our country and our city back to running.”
Simco is optimistic Val’s will be able to return to pre-pandemic state at some point. That includes having live entertainment on the patio throughout the week.
Yet, he is aware for that to happen residents must stay vigilant on being safe. He is encouraging people to continue to wash their hands, social distance, and wear masks.
“I’m a mask wearer,” Simco said. “I feel like we all should, [because] if it helps a little bit, a little bit could save someone’s life.”