Restaurants across the state are still struggling to survive, with some experts projecting that the industry won’t return to pre-pandemic health for years. Understandably, many want to help, suggesting ways to get more revenue behind restaurants’ recovery. We value being able to visit a favorite neighborhood eatery or try a trendy new spot. Efforts to keep these restaurants afloat should focus on what restaurants do best: create memorable meals and serve customers. No gimmicks necessary.

Through the pandemic, we saw how integral restaurants are to our communities. Patrons came together to support their favorite eateries, knowing that if they didn’t come for takeout or order delivery, those establishments may not make it through the unknown length of the crisis. Many customers increased their tips for staff, and others demonstrated increased patience and understanding, with a newfound respect for how essential restaurant workers are.

Our staff are still going above and beyond to cover staff shortages — something over 90% of Colorado restaurants are experiencing. That makes one recurring suggestion of bringing in table-side gambling not only unrealistic, but counterproductive.

Our communities have consistently rejected widespread gambling throughout Colorado. Whether the efforts aimed to expand it in towns outside of Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek, or at racetracks across the state, voters overwhelmingly rebuffed those proposals.

So far, legislators have been wise to also think better of installing gambling in restaurants in Colorado. In 2010 and 2011, legislative efforts to allow gambling in restaurants were scuttled in committee. Then bills were passed in 2015 and 2018 to reduce illegal gambling in internet cafes around the state.

Colorado voters and lawmakers alike have made it clear that gambling in Colorado should stay in the communities who have planned and resourced for it. Our restaurants and our staff are already stretched to capacity.

They simply can’t pile on another job responsibility of monitoring and managing video gambling.

In addition to the cost of installing machines and video screens, the regulatory burden this would place on restaurants would take away from the customer-centric experience we aim to serve. In other states, these casino-like games backfired for bars and restaurants. According to an in depth review by ProPublica, “far from helping to pull the state out of its financial tailspin, the legalization of video gambling instead accelerated it and saddled Illinois with new, unfunded regulatory and social costs.”

Restaurants and our staff in Colorado can’t bear another unfunded, unforeseen cost.

Suggesting these games exposes restaurants to another avenue of regulatory and legal risk, including fines and suspensions. Our depressed hospitality sector can’t absorb that significant risk, and previous proposals to this end have left industry without a safety net to accommodate the risk to businesses.

We should focus on helping our recovering industry by making it easier for our neighbors to come share a meal with us. Our staff are incredibly talented at providing a hospitable experience and should be allowed to focus on that demanding job, not adding “casino dealer” to their job function.

While well meaning, these ideas only stress an already fragile recovery that’s just beginning. As community hubs, restaurants have seen the best and worst of people through an already unprecedented crisis. There’s no demand for the solution of administering and managing an entirely separate industry to ours — including the costs for equipment and training to deliver video gambling. In Connecticut in 2016, the state estimated about 600 new retailers would sign up to offer video gambling. Currently, only 221 licenses have been claimed.

Restaurants need help. But what we need is our patrons to order out or stop by, and any efforts not focused on helping us provide the best service for our customers come at the wrong time for recovering Colorado businesses.

Councilman Richard Skorman is the president pro tem of the Colorado Springs City Council and the owner of Poor Richard’s restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs.

Richard Skorman