NYC restaurants and bars face long road to recovery
NYC bars and restaurants treading water
A new report released by the New York State Comptroller's Office shows that New York City restaurants employ 30% fewer people than they did right before the pandemic. NYC Hospitality Alliance Executive Director Andrew Rigie said the industry is in desperate need of a new round of federal aid.
NEW YORK - New York City restaurants were hoping the holiday season would help them bounce back from the pandemic. However, across the board, it has been anything but a rebound. Much of the hospitality industry is crippled by staffing shortages and cancellations fueled by the latest coronavirus surge.
"We still are not at the numbers we were at before COVID, since March 2020 things have not gone back to normal, and it's a very long time to be trying to tread water," said Xan Garcia, the owner of two bars in Midtown — Cornerstone Tavern and The Stag's Head.
Garcia has been picking up shifts behind the bar just to keep the doors open. She hopes the return of to-go cocktails and the continuation of outdoor dining will help to boost business.
"We are still doing at least a few tables a day of people who either don't feel comfortable being inside or don't have their vaccine cards but want to go out and have a meal in New York City," Garcia said.
Some restaurant chains are taking added precautions. Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group will require customers to show proof of a COVID-19 booster shot to dine in its restaurants beginning on Jan. 24.
Get breaking news alerts in the free FOX5NY News app | Sign up for FOX 5 email newsletters
"Every business owner has to figure out what works the best for their employees, for their customers," NYC Hospitality Alliance Executive Director Andrew Rigie said.
A new report released by the New York State Comptroller's Office shows that restaurants across the five boroughs still employ 30% fewer people than they did right before the pandemic. Rigie said the industry is in desperate need of a new round of federal aid.
"We need the federal government to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, not even just moving forward so people can start paying off the debt that they've accrued over the past nearly two years," he said. "That is just creating huge financial challenges."
President Joe Biden has touted the possibility of further aid but his administration has yet to roll out another package.