Lady Gaga's father, NYC restaurant owner, says coronavirus shutdowns are 'miserable'

The owner of Joanne Trattoria restaurant in New York City, Joe Germanotta, who is also the father of pop star Lady Gaga, says that the arbitrary COVID-19 lockdowns are "miserable" and "disappointing."

"It's so disappointing because as restaurant operators, it takes several years before you finally get your restaurant going," Germanotta said, Fox News reported.

"You get the right staff and the right menu, and then all of a sudden to have the applecart upset like this, it’s horrible. It’s like starting all over again," he continued.

New York City's lockdowns have been some of the most restrictive in the nation. Germanotta explained how the mandates have taken a particularly hard toll on his employees, who he says the government is not providing proper support to.

"We have no answers for them," he said. "I’d love to say, ‘hey, go get another construction job’… but I want to keep my staff on board."

He called Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s ban on indoor dining "really silly."

"We want to get back to work," he continued.

In September, Germanotta reportedly joined more than 450 NYC restaurant owners in suing Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio for $2 billion over the continued indoor dining ban, the Daily Mail reports.

'It's so sad, because I'm watching some of my dear friends that own places, shut down,... Something has to be done," he said.