As the world reels from the COVID-19 pandemic, every industry has been affected in some way. A few for the better, but the vast majority for the worse. While social distancing and quarantine has been observed, customer-facing industries like the food service industry are some of the hardest hit. At the close of 2020, the official numbers have come out -- and as expected, they don't look great.
By solid estimates, around 17 percent of US restaurants — more than 110,000 establishments — are now closed permanently or long-term. But this statistic doesn't fully reflect the severity of the issue. Sean Kennedy, Vice President of Public Affairs at the National Restaurant Association, said in a letter to Congress in early December 2020: “What these findings make clear is that more than 500,000 restaurants of every business type—franchise, chain, and independent—are in an economic free fall, and for every month that passes without a solution from Congress, thousands more restaurants will close their doors for good.
This statement is following Mayor Muriel Bowser”s September announcement of the new Streatery Winter Ready Grant, a $4 million program intended to - you guessed it - winterize the outdoor eating areas of DC restaurants. Each of the 594 eligible restaurants as of September could receive up to $6,000 to prepare for the chill. Additionally, in November, DC's mayor also announced The Bridge Fund, a $100 million general aid fund for the hospitality and entertainment industry. $35 million of this fund is set aside for around 700 DC eateries across the city -- each of which could receive $10,000-$50,000 each. Good job local government! Every bit helps.
However, obviously more help is still needed. As the nation stands by to see what kind of further action our Congress and new presidential administration will take on this matter, independent organizations haven't been waiting around. In an attempt to help ease the struggles for our frontline restaurant employees, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) has launched the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund (RERF). This relief fund has been joined by celebrity chef Guy Fieri, over 50 companies and organizations, and 15,000 individual donors to help more than 43,000 restaurant workers affected by the pandemic. Altogether, RERF's impact has been wide-reaching, as they have raised more than $21.5 million, some of which has been confirmed to have ended up in DC.
More good news is coming soon to our frontline DC restaurant employees. In early January, it was announced that restaurant staff were on the shortlist to receive the COVID-19 vaccine - many of whom were eligible to begin receiving their doses as of Feb 1st. Essential restaurant workers have now joined other eligible groups such as health care workers, the elderly, and other high-risk groups in the wait for a vaccine.
So while your favorite diner up the street may have had to limit its hours, and may be asking you to eat outside right now, there is still hope that it (and your favorite waiter!) may still be around for years to come once this is all over.