Taco Hut in Jamestown has once again closed its doors in Jamestown due to concerns over COVID-19. P-J file photo

The longtime owners of a downtown Jamestown business said they want to “set the record straight” after making the decision to temporarily close due to increasing COVID-19 numbers.

Jim and Kim Mason said there’s been a wave of misinformation posted to social media regarding the closing of Taco Hut, located at 203 E. Third St. The restaurant isn’t closing for good; instead the owners plan to take a break for a bit before reopening for take-out.

The decision was ultimately made after Jim Mason said he watched the news and became alarmed at reports of surging COVID-19 cases in Western New York.

“It’s a serious thing out there,” he said. “You’re hearing more and more about it on the news and I told my wife, ‘I don’t want you to get sick,’ and I don’t want to get sick and I don’t want my customers to get sick. So you got to do what you got to do. If someone has a problem with that, that’s their business.”

It’s not the first time Taco Hut — which has been in Jamestown for decades — has closed due to the coronavirus. They briefly stopped operations in the spring before reopening in June for take-out and eventually indoor dining.

News of Taco Hut’s sudden closure spread quickly online Tuesday. Some employees stated they were upset with the decision, especially one made so close to the holidays.

Jim and Kim Mason said it wasn’t their intent to cause any harm. They said the closure was out of an abundance of caution and safety for employees and customers.

“The closing is just temporary,” Jim Mason said. “We’re taking a break and taking time to relax. We work down there every single day. … We would love to have our employees come back. We had to close (Tuesday). … Watching the news, I’m really scared. We don’t want to get anyone sick — I’m older, too, and we’re just thinking of keeping everyone safe. We’ll have take-out and delivery at some point so we figure we’d go that route. That’s something we’ve done before.”

Regarding upset employees, Kim Mason added, “We don’t want them to get sick if this is what it takes. I know it’s before the holidays and we’re so sorry. We’d prefer they be healthy, and that’s the main issue.”