TYLER, Texas — As several locally owned businesses shut down amid the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions, some businesses owners are struggling to generate whatever money they can.
Howard Charba opened Times Square Grand Slam about a year ago. His business is based on entertainment, including movies, bowling, arcade and laser tag.
"We had already self-imposed a slow down of about 70 percent of our foot traffic, not even wanting to have more than 30% of our normal capacity in here," Charba said. "I’ve actually got more employees cleaning the arcade and I have customers using the arcade. Each time somebody gets off a game, [we are] sanitizing it and wiping it down. So we were doing our part."
Charba says the new COVID-19 restrictions are putting his business, and his employee's jobs, at risk.
"So we’ve got a 65,000 square-foot facility that we cannot allow one person in," Charba said. "They are not shutting down the problem they are curbing the problem. I’m fine with the shut down, I mean honestly I’m fine if that’s what we need to do. But if we’re going to do it, let’s do it as a community and as a group of citizens and take care of the problem."
He says so far he has not laid off any employees and has been able to pay them. To earn as much revenue as possible, he is opening up his kitchen at a steep discount.
"So we’re going to be selling food and delivering it, and we’re going to be sending out spirits," Charba explained. "And we’re going to be having grab-and-go at a huge discount. I’m going to keep my people busy as best I can."
Charba says he hopes his low grab-and-go prices will help him achieve is ultimate goal of allowing his employees to keep working.
"Our employees so far haven’t suffered, and my goal is for them not to suffer," Charba said. "They have families that they need to feed, we are going to find stuff for them to do."