North Myrtle Beach restaurant issued warning for opening outdoor seating too soon
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - Customers at Buoys on the Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach were doing something this past weekend that they haven’t been able to do in a while: eat outside at the restaurant.
Like all other restaurants in the state, Gov. Henry McMaster’s executive order required Buoys on the Boulevard to only serve curbside pick-up or delivery.
After doing just that for a month and a half, owner Weldon Boyd decided he could safely start seating people outside.
“The last straw is good friends of mine who own businesses telling me through phone calls, ‘Weldon, I’m not going to be able to re-open. I’m going to lose my business.’ That’s where the last straw came from,” said Boyd.
Boyd has owned Buoys on the Boulevard for three years.
He’d set aside a few months worth in savings in case the business came on hard times, but not this hard.
“We were told to put all the people on unemployment," said Boyd. "That’s a joke. Half my people still can’t get paid from the state. We’ve done everything on our end, but it’s not working.”
Weldon decided to reopen his outdoor seating, despite the governor’s executive order still being in place.
He put four tables outside, spaced several feet apart.
Boyd said he had hundreds of people come and eat over the weekend, and got emails from people across the country in support.
He caught the attention of North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley, who referenced it during the “accelerateSC” governance meeting in Columbia.
“I had one restaurant owner that opened up for business this weekend because he was desperate and put it on Facebook," said Hatley. "Which of course, what does that do? That just tells all the others, let’s get together and defy the government.”
“We’re going to run this as long as we can until something gives,” said Boyd.
But something gave about one hour after WMBF News spoke with Boyd, as South Carolina Law Enforcement Division came to issue him a written warning. They said the next step would be to take his business license.
So, he’s back to curbside pick-up, but he still believes in his message.
“Politicians work for us, and they have to understand that and it’s our decision what we do," said Boyd. "If it’s not, then it’s not a freedom, it’s a privilege.”
Boyd said he was told by SLED that business violations are being put at the back of the back-logged, so until the courts are caught up, he can't plead his case.
Which could set him back months if not years, and he can’t afford that.
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