KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For a day that he won’t forget anytime soon, Joe Zwillenberg remembers March 16, 2020, starting out decently.

It was a Monday, and Zwillenberg, a restaurateur who owns the Westport Flea Market, a Kansas City staple that doubles as one of the city’s most popular burger joints, was coming off a strong sales weekend with the promise of more to come. St. Patrick’s Day was only a day away, and Zwillenberg typically cleans up every March 17.

“Man, that’s Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa all rolled up into one,” Zwillenberg said with a hearty laugh. “St. Patrick’s Day was my bonus!”

Just like he has every year of the 14 he has owned the restaurant, Zwillenberg had a hundred cases of beer stocked up and ready to go. His employees, many of whom have worked for him for over a decade, were excited and primed for monster tips. It was all set up.

There was just one problem: The most dangerous global pandemic in a century was setting in.

View photos The coronavirus pandemic has been a shock for restaurants across the country. (Photo courtesy of Joe Zwillenberg) More

Kansas City is nestled in the middle of America and thus believed by some residents to be insulated from the spread of the coronavirus. Officials saw otherwise and took action.

If it wasn’t apparent the week before, when the Big 12 cancelled its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, institutions in Kansas City, it became painfully clear to residents that Monday evening, when mayor Quinton Lucas announced a sweeping closure of schools and movie theaters, a ban of public gatherings of 10-plus people and the prohibition of restaurants offering dine-in service.

It was a tough blow to restaurateurs like Zwillenberg, who had to close his business on St. Patrick’s Day, and one that exemplified why more than half of the 350 small, medium and large businesses who recently responded to a Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce survey admitted they expect to struggle financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was brutal,” Zwillenberg said. “That Monday the 16th was really, really … everybody got real serious and started staying home. And I don’t blame them.”

Customers have mostly stayed home since then, all with a push from their local government. Those measures have not come without consternation or consequences, and it remains to be seen how effective those measures will be.

Tough but necessary coronavirus decisions

View photos Kansas City hasn't endured the rash of coronavirus cases other cities have — and it wants to keep it that way. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) More

Lucas followed up the restrictions with a one-month stay-at-home order that started the following week, requiring Kansas City residents to stay at home except for “essential” activities like grocery shopping and trips to the doctor or pharmacies. Restaurants could still be visited, but for only takeout.

After Lucas’ order, residents began crowding stores, grabbing toilet paper, milk, bread, eggs and disinfectant wipes. In a suburb north of the city, a policeman even stood outside of a popular grocery store to keep order.

While “essential” businesses have thrived, the measures were a significant blow to non-essential businesses and the tax revenues of a city that needs that money.

And considering the number of COVID-19 cases in Missouri is relatively small compared to other states — nearly 1,100 confirmed cases and at least 13 deaths as of Monday, compared to over 67,000 confirmed cases and at least 1,200 deaths in New York — Lucas’ decisions were decidedly proactive, especially since Missouri has not issued a statewide stay-at-home order yet.

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