Valley business owners ask for Gov. Ducey's help with operations, finances

PHOENIX - It's no secret that small businesses in the valley and throughout the state are feeling the hit of the coronavirus pandemic.

FOX 10 spoke with small business owners Monday and they say that they've penned a letter to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey asking for him to help them out. 

Beth Goldwater is using a new approach for Bertha’s Café on 32nd St. and Indian School Road: take out orders.

"We have online ordering here, people can just drive up to the curb they don’t have to get out of the car," she said. "We encourage that, we don’t want anyone going inside."

She said their team is now a "skeleton crew."

Some valley businesses like the Breadfruit and Rum Bar in Phoenix is closed completely.

"We realized after doing takeout for three days that it wasn’t going to work and ultimately it’s a health concern. We shouldn’t have people come in and support us with health risks and [there] wasn’t enough return on it," explained Danielle Leoni, co-owner and chef at Breadfruit and Rum Bar.

Now the owners are asking for the state to step and help out in order for them to open back up and be successful when the global pandemic ends.

"The big picture is that we’re asking for a pause essentially," said Dwayne Allen, co-owner Breadfruit and Rum Bar. "What we’re saying is if businesses are closed down and they have no revenue coming in ... I have no revenue coming in my landlord can't expect the rent, my mortgage company cannot expect a payment, my leasing company cannot expect me to write a check, all of us are involved in all of us are in this together ..."