fbpx

Report: 50 Percent Of New York Bars And Restaurants Could Shut Down for Good

Report: 50 Percent Of New York Bars And Restaurants Could Shut Down for Good

restaurants
50 Percent Of New York Bars And Restaurants Could Shut Down for GoodImage: nappy.co

50 Percent Of New York Bars And Restaurants Could Shut Down for GoodImage: nappy.co

In the next six months, up to half of all New York City’s roughly 25,000 bars and restaurants may be closed for good, taking 150,000 jobs with them, according to a new audit released on Thursday by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

New York City has been devastated by the coronavirus, with 239,685 cases and 19,192 deaths. That’s more than 9 percent of total U.S. deaths concentrated in a metro area of 13.3 square miles. Cases peaked around April 7.

Nine out of 10 restaurants and bars in the city can’t pay full rent, according to a survey conducted by the New York City Hospitality Alliance, an industry group. Most did not pay full rent in August and about a third had not paid any rent, New York Times reported.

The survey was based on responses from 450 of the 2,500 alliance members.

Indoor dining reopened on Sept. 30 at 25 percent capacity for New York’s dining and drinking establishments that managed to stay in business so far. Colder weather and rising coronavirus cases already have already commenced.

By comparison, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lifted all coronavirus-related restrictions in late September on businesses across the state, allowing bars and restaurants to run at full capacity for the first time since March.

Restaurant industry stakeholders cheered the move in Florida, but some owners and workers aren’t ready to return to normal, The Counter reported.

Black and brown New York communities have been hit hardest, according to the report. As of 2018, 60 percent of restaurant workers living in the city were immigrants, New York Post reported.

Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 73: Jamarlin Martin Jamarlin makes the case for why this is a multi-factor rebellion vs. just protests about George Floyd. He discusses the Democratic Party’s sneaky relationship with the police in cities and states under Dem control, and why Joe Biden is a cop and the Steve Jobs of mass incarceration.

Opening indoor dining to 25 percent capacity may not be enough to reverse the economic slide of one of the city’s key industries. Many restaurants, especially in Manhattan, are about to collapse as tourists stay away and office workers stay home.

A moratorium on evictions, which was recently extended until Oct. 20, helped some New York businesses stay afloat, said Jack Sterne, a spokesman for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. 

“This pandemic isn’t over, and everyone is trying to avoid a potential second wave that would force businesses to close down again,” he said.

Read more: Retail Chains Hit The Exit Button On Manhattan Leases, Say It’s Unsustainable