Andiamo Owner Writes Letter Urging MI Restaurants to Defy Indoor Dinning Ban

Andiamo owner Joe Vicari recently wrote a letter to Michigan restaurants urging them to defy Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's ban on indoor dining if it is extended past Dec. 8.

According to WDIV, Vicari called on fellow restauranteurs to join Andiamo in reopening Dec. 9 if Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services extend the current three-week “pause.”

Dear fellow restauranteurs:

As we are all aware, last Sunday, Gov. Whitmer issued a three-week “pause”. That “pause” is due to expire on Dec. 8. The Michigan Lodging and Restaurant Association will be in front of a Federal Judge on Nov. 30 in an effort to overturn the Health Department’s ruling.

If they are unsuccessful in doing this, we need to TAKE ACTION! As the leading restauranteurs in the state of Michigan, we need to band together and fight this closure. Our industry cannot survive another long-term closure. We are stronger if we stand together and use our strength to fight back.

The data from the MLRA shows that just over 4% of COVID cases can be traced back to restaurants, and yet, she decided to close restaurants, again. The malls are packed with holiday shopping, hair salons and gyms can remain open, yet our restaurants are closed.

If the MLRA is unsuccessful in overturning the decision, we anticipate the governor will make an announcement to extend her “pause” through the end of the year, on Sunday, Dec. 6. On Monday, Dec. 7, we will hold a collective press conference, with every local station and possibly national coverage, to announce that as a powerful, collective group, we will be reopening our restaurants on Dec. 9.

Our industry cannot survive another extended closure. Thousands of restaurants and tens of thousands of our employees cannot survive it either. We need to band together and FIGHT BACK, but we need to do this as a United Group of Michigan Restaurant Owners.

If you are interested in being part of the United Group of Michigan Restaurant Owners, please join us on Dec. 3 at 1:00 at Andiamo Banquet Center on 14 Mile and Van Dyke for an informational meeting.

Together, we can stand together to reopen our restaurants. For more information or to confirm your attendance on Dec. 3, please reach out to Rosalie Vicari at rovicari@vicarirestaurants or 586-770-1187.

Thank you, and we looked for to uniting on Dec. 3. We are only strong if we stand together!

Joe Vicari

Joe Vicari owns several Andiamo restaurants in Metro Detroit along with the Fenton location as well.

I'm not going to get into a huge debate on what I think about all of this. However, I will say that I don't agree with anyone taking away someone's right to work and provide for their families. I think it's wrong and I'll just leave it at that.

I have a feeling that next week, we will see even more restrictions put in place. I'm going to lose it if gyms get shut down again. I can't stress enough the importance of exercise. It's so important for your physical and mental health, especially during a pandemic.