10,000 Restaurants Could close in the next three weeks

www.wesh.com... pi6frS5Sd0lkl5kKjYRlEiptrMZkkDrKKg

The National Restaurant Association is publicly pleading with Congress to pass new stimulus to help the industry that has been damaged by the pandemic. The group said Monday that 10,000 restaurants could close in the next three weeks, in addition to the 110,000 that have already shuttered in 2020.

In short, the restaurant industry simply cannot wait for relief any longer," said Sean Kennedy, executive vice president for the group, said in a release. He advocates for a "true compromise" between the competing Democrat and Republican proposals and hopes for a larger stimulus package in 2021 under the incoming Biden administration.

This is so sad and crazy.
I'm really into the food scene. I know the best restaurants are not ones that can generally translate well into take out/to go food.
We are going to lose some real gems but places like Olive Garden will do fine. Sorry for those that love OG, it's just not a place I consider
fine dining, not to pick on them but that is the kind of place that is going to survive.

We've been trying to support our local eateries here as much as we can.

There was one place that was doing really great when this all started. Fantastic food.
They were not a place keen on mask wearing (this isn't about if you agree with that or not)
Due to that fact a lot of people stopped going and ordering for them. I just read that they
are trying to stay afloat and basically begging for people to place orders and support them...

We've also had several places shut down multiple times (and re-open) due to employees having Covid. I learned from
friends in the industry that restaurants are now doing things to circumvent the safety protocols w/Covid so they can stay in business.
Some of them are alarming..

a reply to: JAGStorm

Olive Garden I've never been impressed with.. This OP reminds me a lot of the movie demolition man where Taco Bell was the only restaurant to survive the franchise wars... ugh

a reply to: JAGStorm

Our local eateries have been effected as well, but they are still going because we have all taken the time to support them as much as possible.

Dunno how much longer that is going to last though...

I also seem to remember that over 12 million Americans are going to fall off of the unemployment rosters after Christmas.

Here it is... CBS News Linky

2020... the curse that keeps on giving.

It doesn't matter unless the over-the-top restrictions are removed even then there will be a certain segment that won't go out regardless now, and depending on how large that percentage is will be if the industry can be saved or not. The same will apply to the industry I'm in as well. A 10% loss in normal times was bad enough, I'd say that's overly optimistic for the foreseeable future.

We have already noticed a drop off in quality and freshness because restaurants aren't getting enough turnover fast enough.

a reply to: Lumenari

"People don't realize that most of the people collecting unemployment benefits now will be cut off on December 26," Stettner said. "Most people will be going from that $200 to $300 a week to nothing."

Yeah that's going to be pretty...

When people have nothing to lose.. they have nothing to lose....

a reply to: JAGStorm

This is incredibly sad. Restaurants / bars in many ways, are the heartbeat to any community. Places to come together.

The Covid response from the VERY beginning should have been — Leave your home at your own risk. And nothing more.

We are witnessing the elimination of the middle class.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: Lumenari

"People don't realize that most of the people collecting unemployment benefits now will be cut off on December 26," Stettner said. "Most people will be going from that $200 to $300 a week to nothing."

Yeah that's going to be pretty...

When people have nothing to lose.. they have nothing to lose....

We actually have an uptick in petty crime here.

A place where until 2020 nobody locked their homes, everyone left the keys in their vehicles...

For years I have sold seedings on the side of the road by my house. I can't see the stand from the house.

You just put your money in the coffee can... I've never had an issue with that.

THAT's not going to happen this spring.

~sigh~

Lock downs, defund/demoralize the police ... this is how elections have consequences. We get the governments we deserve.

Those who want safety over liberty end up with neither, and loss of your economic means of support is the ultimate loss of liberty. Loss of the means of securing the peaceful order of society is another avenue of loss of liberty.

m.youtube.com...

The only thing worse than olive garden being the last restaurant

The restaurant industry is going to be decimated. Most of them will not survive the winter with continued shut downs.

We just had a story here in Chicago. One of the City Aldermen, Tom Tunney, owns a couple of restaurants. Turns out he decided to go speakeasy style and continue to serve patrons while restaurant was supposed to be closed during lockdown.

Normally, I'd say good for him. However, he is a Democrat leftist so the hypocrisy runs thick. Like most Democrats, they are progressive/leftist right up until it hits their own wallets.

Chicago Alderman Ignores Restaurant Ban

...

Just saw this heart breaking case in LA. Restaurant owner on verge of tears after not being able to serve on her out door patio, yet LA approves allowing a movie film set to serve food outdoors barely 50 feet from her restaurant! It was literally the same setup except one was allowed and one wasn't.

Restaurant Closed, Movie Set Allowed

Police in anonymous black chase down Staten Island bar owner who defied shut down order.

You can see in the video that the guy looked like he had ANTIFA on his hood.

Now it's he said; she said. Bar owner says the cops didn't ID. They say they did.

It's scary when business owners are being arrested for just being open when if they were two blocks away, nothing would be untoward because of arbitrary zones on a map.

Times are scary and things are tense. This will go nowhere good, but there is no chance of success unless people organize and defy this all together.

a reply to: ketsuko

When the lock downs first started, we had a lot of small local businesses that were shut down - shoe stores, book stores, toy stores, etc. however, the mini-target and some other large chain stores were allowed to stay open because they were considered "essential"

Naturally, people were like WTF? I can't buy shoes at the local shoe store, but can go buy them at Target? What is the difference?

a reply to: Edumakated

I know. It was simply amazing how people who hated the big box stores like Walmart and Target and "loved" them some mom and pop suddenly turned on a dime to where the big boxes and their former slave workers were now sainted heroes, pillars of the community and mom and pop were trying to kill us all.

a reply to: Edumakated

Naturally, people were like WTF? I can't buy shoes at the local shoe store, but can go buy them at Target? What is the difference?

The difference is the amount of money people like Target's CEO and the Walton family stuff into your politicians' pockets, and the amount of stock your politicians have in Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods.

a reply to: Edumakated

Just saw this heart breaking case in LA. Restaurant owner on verge of tears after not being able to serve on her out door patio, yet LA approves allowing a movie film set to serve food outdoors barely 50 feet from her restaurant! It was literally the same setup except one was allowed and one wasn't.

That one really gets to me because she is doing exactly what experts says works. Social distancing and having ventilation. It's a win win. They are also in a climate that it will work.

a reply to: bigsnowman

No. It's just arbitrary.

My guess is that someone thought the fewer places open for people to go to, the better, so with everything consolidated in one place ... they thought it was somehow better less need to go out and about and spread around.

Of course, no one thought that basically everyone was being funneled through the exact same space all together which sort of destroys the point because if everyone is shopping for all the stuff all together, no one is spread out.

Depressing stuff, the rules in many places don't make sense, here too.

a reply to: JAGStorm

It is super sad. Some should just try and become speakeasy restaurants. Sneaky.

My wife and I always do take out from a local restaurant at least once a week. More if we can afford it. We were doing indoor dining while we are allowed up until October or early November. Lame that it stopped. Glad we got to have our wedding anniversary out at a nice steak house.
Thats not the kind of food you want to pick up though. We are foodies too.

a reply to: Edumakated

Speaking of Chicago,
I just saw one of my fav steakhouse is laying off a ton of people (Wildfire)
Here's some more..


patch.com...

L. Wood's Tap & Pine Lodge in Lincolnwood: 37 permanent layoffs
Joe's Prime Steak, Seafood and Stone Crab in Chicago: 64 permanent layoffs
Shaw's Crab House in Chicago: 69 permanent layoffs
Shaw's Crab House and Tokio Asian Fusion in Schaumburg: 27 permanent layoffs
Hub 51 in Chicago: 34 permanent layoffs
Summer House Santa Monica and Stella Barra Pizzeria in Chicago: 31 permanent layoffs
RPM Steak in Chicago: 25 permanent layoffs
RPM Seafood, RPM Events and Pizzeria Portofino in Chicago: 80 permanent layoffs
Beatrix in Chicago: 40 permanent layoffs
Saranello's in Wheeling: 31 permanent layoffs
Osteria Via Stato in Chicago: 25 permanent layoffs
Petterino's and Do-Rite Donuts in Chicago: 80 permanent layoffs
RPM Italian in Chicago: 36 permanent layoffs
Bub City and Joe's Live in Rosemont: 66 permanent layoffs
Bub City in Chicago: 40 permanent layoffs
MEI in Chicago: 25 permanent layoffs
Ema in Chicago: 38 permanent layoffs
Ramen-San, Dance Studio and Il Porcellino in Chicago: 47 permanent layoffs

a reply to: chris_stibrany

The problem is the entire industry has to be civilly disobedient otherwise, one or two people protesting isn't going to work.

Most of the chains will survive. Some restaurants are thriving due to delivery. Others are not well positioned. With already thin margins, most will fail.

What politicians fail to understand is that people are smart enough to patronize restaurants that take appropriate precautions. if the restaurant doesn't, then people will eat elsewhere.

The other issue I have is that the pandemic can't be that bad because politicians keep trying to carve out exceptions for the elites. If we were truly in a pandemic, then there would be no exceptions. Even politiicans don't want to follow their own edicts which is telling.