Banquet halls suffer from coronavirus-related cancellations

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - As government officials work to fight the spread of Coronavirus, restrictions now limit the number of people in public gatherings and that has had a major impact on banquet halls.

“Our new normal now dealing with people’s cancellations and rescheduling,” said Jason Najorn of Regency Manor. “We took the decision as a management team just to shut down our operations completely.”

That forced Cindy Ofili and John Sember to postpone their wedding set for April at Regency Manor.

“When you’re 18 days out and very close to being there, and they tell you you can’t really celebrate the way you would want to -  it's really sad,” Cindy said.

As couples look to postpone or work out other plans, many banquet halls are facing a tough reality.

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“There will be no profits this year, we've already accepted that,” Najorn said. “The staff that isn’t able to work - we’re paying them out for the rest of the week and we’re going to be dealing with this on a week-to-week basis.”

So for now, the management team at Regency Manor is focused on deep cleaning their facility. They're also focused on helping others the best way they can.

“We decided that whatever was fresh in our cooler, we started calling some people up and we’re donating the food, asking employees to take whatever they need to take home, so that way it doesn’t go to waste,” Najorn said.

As banquet halls try to adjust, they’re encouraging people who are planning events not to be afraid to plan ahead

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“Pick a date that’s 6, 7, or 8 months out, because what we’re being told by the authorities and the experts is that this should subside by June or July or at the latest August and it’s just a matter of being rational and keeping calm. We will get through this,” Najorn said.