Councillor Visconti: Restaurants Are Declining Requests for Delivery of Takeouts to Satter House

Councillor-at-Large Gerry Visconti has asked Mayor Brian Arrigo to look into local food establishments who are not willing to deliver takeout orders to the Jack Satter House on Revere Beach Boulevard during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Satter House is an independent senior residence facility that has been hit hard by COVID-19.

“I got some phone calls from the Satter House that are a little disappointing about some of our food establishments that just don’t want to deliver takeout because of what they’ve gone through there in the past month and a half,” said Visconti. “It’s just wrong. I know they’re quarantined but they’ve doing a good job trying to clean up and keep that building safe.

“I don’t think these companies and food restaurants should not delivering to them,” concluded Visconti.

Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky said, “You can’t make these people go in to a place because they’re still going to say, ‘we’re keeping our employees safe by keeping them away.”

Novoselsy encouraged residents to “spread the word” to not order takeout from these businesses.

Councillor-at-Large Steve Morabito said he agreed with Visconti’s motion. “I think we should reach to Jack Satter House as a city and maybe they can put out a temporary meal box out front where deliverers can drop the food off,” said Morabito. “They should have some kind of designated location in the front of the building where a delivery driver can drop off their food, and maybe they’ll be more likely to deliver the food.”

Council President Patrick Keefe said there has been a lot of confusion about food delivery procedures at the Satter House. “There is a security guard that sits right at the back entrance and they won’t let you go any farther,” said Keefe.

Keefe said the food can be given to the security guard and it will then be delivered to the resident who requested the takeout order.

“It’s disappointing to hear that anyone would not be delivering there, but they may be thinking that they’re supposed to go in,” said Keefe.

Steve Post, executive director of the Jack Satter House, said he hoped that restaurants would resume deliveries to residents whom have been encouraged to support small businesses and food establishments in the city.
“Deliveries of supplies, groceries, food, and other items are being safely made to the exterior lobby of Jack Satter House, without allowing entrance to the building,” said Steve Post, Executive Director of Jack Satter House. “In addition to following standard social-distancing and infection control protocols that the Governor, the Mayor, and the Revere Board of Health encourage all Revere residents to follow, our staff wears personal protective equipment while on duty, including to deliver packages to residents’ apartments. Since we have been encouraging our residents to support local restaurants and small businesses during this time, we hope that more local restaurants will resume deliveries to their patrons who live at Satter House.”
The Council also approved Visconti’s motion that the city look in to gas stations that may be involved in price-gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic.