‘Mask up’ if you want your favorite bar, restaurant to survive, workers say in new ads

Six Pierce County restaurant owners and employees star in a new “mask up” campaign from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, urging residents to stay vigilant in the continued fight against COVID-19.

The month-long advertising push, coordinated with the Washington Hospitality Association and funded by $60,000 of the health department’s CARES Act allocation, starts Dec. 24.

Its target audience: young adults “who might be influenced by the popular bars and restaurants they haven’t been able to visit during the pandemic,” according to a news release.

Each commercial — to be aired on television, online and on social media — features one owner and one employee, standing or sitting at least six feet apart, imploring residents to “mask up” to protect one another.

“Pierce County restaurant owners and employees want you to stay safe and healthy,” says Courtney Moore, owner of The Mix in downtown Tacoma. She appears with Des Davis, a barista at Shakabrah Java on Sixth Avenue, who chimes in, “We also want your favorite bars and restaurants to survive this pandemic, so the people who serve you can return to work.”

The hospitality association’s local team requested volunteers for the project, according to spokesperson Niki Reading.

The Mix joined the effort because its team is “eager to get back to serving our Tacoma LGBTQ+ community,” Moore told The News Tribune in a message. “We want to continue to be a safe space and resource, so we think it’s important to encourage whatever could allow that to happen sooner rather than later. If it takes social distancing, a few restrictions and a mask to get that to happen, let’s do it!”

The hospitality industry, along with entertainment venues such as theaters and bowling alleys, continues to bear the brunt of COVID-19 restrictions on prolonged indoor activities. The state trade group estimates that 2,500 restaurants have already closed this year and worries more will fall without relief and a return to semi-normal life.

In another video, Marquise Smith, a server at Farrelli’s Pizza where all of the commercials were filmed, says, “We miss you, our customers, and no doubt you miss visiting your favorite bars and restaurants, too.” The family-owned company employs, in normal times, more than 300 people over 10 locations.

Smith is joined by Gloria Martin, owner of the venerable Southern Kitchen.

“And we miss our employees,” she says. “They want to return to work, but they may be out of a job if we don’t wear a mask and protect each other.”

The third ad shows two downtown Tacoma restaurants: Indochine Asian Dining Lounge owner Russel Brunton with Erica Stirn, a human resources manager at Matador Restaurants, a regional Mexican chain.

“The pandemic is affecting all of us,” says Stirn.

“Bars and restaurants need to survive this — it’s that simple,” adds Brunton.

At the end of each, the duo in unison proclaims, “Mask up, Pierce County,” the health department’s go-to tagline for encouraging mask wearing in public places this year.

Masks continue to be perhaps the greatest defense against the spread of the coronavirus, according to scientists and infectious disease experts.

Governors in 35 states, including Washington, require masks; they are sometimes required in another six.