Argie Karafotias: Golden Brunch

“The moment my employees learned the state was shutting us down again, they were afraid.”

“The last time we closed down, I gave them all of the food in the restaurant for free. I won’t make my employees starve because the state shut us down.”

“Shutting down would absolutely close my business. SBA and PPP money helped, but if customers don’t come in and dine, we’ll close.”

“Plus, this is not only my business – my family and my employees are here. What will they do? There’s no unemployment, there’s no plan. I applied for a grant from the state and haven’t gotten a response after a month.”

“In the restaurant industry, think about it… our busboys, our servers, our cooks, we are moving the economy. We are one of the largest economic powers in Illinois and the country. We put money back into the economy, we don’t sit on it. If we all stop spending, what happens to our local economy?”

“And guess what? If I don’t pay my taxes, even if I can’t make any money because the state shut us down, they’ll come after me… after my family.”

“You need to give the people the choice. If you believe your establishment is safe, give the people the choice to come in. If the people don’t like your establishment or think you don’t follow the rules, they can leave and never come back. Simple as that.”

“You have to give the businesses the choice to survive.”

Argie Karafotias
Owner, Golden Brunch
Arlington Heights, Illinois