Santa Maria Valley YMCA encouraging people to support local businesses, restaurants

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - When the new stay-at-home order was announced in Southern California, restaurant owners at Trattoria Uliveto had to switch gears from Christmas decorating to a very quick backwards pivot.

"We had to go back to take out and you know crying out to the community to support us," said co-owner Amy Curti of Trattoria Uliveto.

Santa Maria Valley’s YMCA CEO Shannon Seifert is leading an effort to get get the community to support local businesses like this one.

But owners of the longtime restaurant say they were counting on December to bring in extra business.

"Well the impact is huge because of letting all the staff go and that’s a big impact and financially it’s a big impact and it’s Christmas," said co-owner and chef Alfonso Curti of Trattoria Uliveto.

Since the outdoor closure was unexpected, owners say they spent thousands of dollars getting the patio ready.

So far the owners say their business has dropped by about 60 percent during the past week.

"We’re hoping that they will change their thoughts on that and will be able to do outdoor dining," said Amy.

"And community lifting and that's what we're trying to do too. It's about how to lift up the community and how can we support each other when we need it the most so that's the whole goal," said Seifert.