Complaints about restraurants breaking state and local reopening guidelines have been popping up in recent weeks. Just yesterday the Boston began holding emergency meetings to address large crowds and poor safety enforcement at restaurants across the city. The violations come, however, as restaurants face unprecedented economic challenges because of the pandemic. WGBH Morning Edition Host Joe Mathieu spoke with Chef Ming Tsai, owner of Blue Dragon in Fort Point, to discuss how the local restaurant community is trying to stay afloat and why he’s taking a more cautious approach to protecting his employees and patrons. The transcript below has been edited for clarity.
Joe Mathieu: For starters, I know you’ve not been playing around at Blue Dragon. You’re still closed.
Ming Tsai: We are, yeah. Blue Dragon is 80 seats with the bar. But without the bar, because you can have a bar and can’t gather, and with the six-foot rule we’re like a 30-seat restaurant. You don’t need an Excel spreadsheet to figure out not only do you not break even, you lose money.
Mathieu:
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