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MATTHEW FLINCHBAUGH

Mechanicsburg

As a Central Pennsylvania Restaurant Coalition leader and owner of Flinchy’s and Home Slice at Walden, we are deeply disappointed with the political maneuvering orchestrated by our governor to further devastate our second largest industry in Pennsylvania.

The majority of state House Democrats failed to support Pennsylvania businesses, our critical jobs and our families, and instead chose to support their governor.

Twelve Democrat House members flipped their original votes for HB 2513, as colder temperatures arrive forcing us to end outdoor seating.

At a time when we need our elected officials to step up and support us, most House Democratic lawmakers chose not to overturn Gov. Wolf’s veto that is severely crippling our restaurants, bars and taverns, and is significantly hurting our daily lives.

Our hardworking employees and family businesses have suffered enough. We’ve happily and successfully complied with diverse safety mandates, CDC protocols and health guidelines and want to keep our customers and employees safe and are making every effort to do so. We’ve shutdown our businesses for months. We’ve shutdown our bar seating areas.

We generated new menus to make sure people comply with the governor’s directive to order food in order to have a legal alcoholic beverage. We’ve purchased extra cleaning and sanitation supplies and equipment, masks, gloves, disposable menus, physical partitions, individual condiments and takeout containers, and more, even out of our own pockets. We’ve laid off our workers and lost many for good.

We’ve scaled back our menu offerings to reduce inventory. We’ve canceled large events and so many private gatherings and meetings.

Yet, we continue paying all of our bills and paying for our licenses and operate at 25% if we don’t wish to self certify and encounter even more state mandates. No other industry is being asked to do so.

We only asked that we be allowed to open to 50% capacity with COVID safety measures in place, while removing some of the onerous guidelines impacting our businesses and restricting customers’ choices.

We want to thank all of the state House GOP lawmakers along with the two dozen House Democrats who voted for Pennsylvanians’ rights to dine and enjoy a meal out if they choose, who voted for our family businesses, who voted for our hardworking employees who need these jobs, and who tried to vote to put an end to these draconian measures that are harming our state, and hurting all of its residents and our lives.

These partisan antics and job-killing measures are severely impacting mental health, suicide rates, and unemployment, hindering family survival and closing restaurants for good statewide! The misinformation about HB 2513 and our industry being spread by this governor is disheartening.

We ask everyone to support local now more than ever. Thank you to all of our loyal customers who have been standing with us and patronizing our establishments.”

(Matthew Flinchbaugh is Owner of Flinchy’s Home Slice at Walden in Mechanicsburg.)

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