BRADENTON (WSNN) – The coronavirus has many business owners fighting to stay open. But what if losing your business means you have to leave the country?
“If we lose the restaurant, then maybe we’ll lose everything,” Katie’s Cafe owner, Ricky Jessop, said.
The stakes are higher for British couple Ricky and Kelly Jessop who work at Katie’s Café. Seven years ago they moved from England to the United States on E-2 Visas. The visa allows them to work inside the U.S. based on an investment they control.
“I can’t work anywhere else, the visa doesn’t allow us to,” Ricky said. “If the business starts to fail, it’s not like I can say, ‘Ok, let’s do something else, we’ll sell the restaurant and will go do something else.’ Well, no one is going to buy a restaurant that’s failing, so everything’s gone.”
They wouldn’t be able to work at another business.
And while they’re forced to operate at 50 percent capacity, Ricky says it’s fine for the summer because it’s not their busy season. Business usually drops off and they already had allowance put aside. But, if things don’t turn around, it could become a problem.
“If we get to season and we can’t go back to full capacity, it doesn’t become a viable business anymore,” Ricky said.
Loyal customers know the struggle and are doing their best to help this family. Manatee County resident, Dick Anderson, eats at Katie’s cafe almost every day.
“It would be loss of a community icon, a place where I know people, they know me, and we’re comfortable with one another,” Anderson said.
Ricky says he only has two options: fight or close shop.
“It’s either fight and keep going and try to make it work and try and get through and hope this will pass and hope that we can carry on and get back to a normal life, or I lock the door now, and I don’t want to do that,” Ricky said. “We’re very happy here. We love living in the states.”
Everything is uncertain now, but he says he’s going to fight as long as it takes.
