NEW YORK CITY (WABC) The return of indoor dining in New York City couldn t come soon enough for struggling Big Apple restaurants, as a new survey by the New York City Hospitality Alliance reveals 92% of more than 400 respondents couldn t afford to pay December rent, a number that has steadily increased since the start of the pandemic.
In June, the survey revealed 80% of restaurants could not afford to pay rent; July 83%; August 87%; and October 88%.
The non-profit organization says the year-end figures are dismal for the future of the Restaurant Capital of the World.
Before COVID-19, New York City was home to over 25,000 restaurants, bars and nightclubs that employed 325,000 people.
Thursday opening of vaccine sites delayed
Due to the COVID vaccine supply shortage and shipments delayed by storms, NYC is delaying the opening of vaccination sites at Empire Outlets on Staten Island and Martin Van Buren High School in Queens that were originally planned for Thursday. I cannot be clearer: we have the infrastructure in place to deliver half a million doses per week, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. All that s missing is the supply to get it done. We need our the pharmaceutical companies to step-up and give us the doses we need to vaccinate the people of our city. There is not a moment to waste.
NYC Restaurants See Diners Step Tentatively Back Inside
arrow Jack s Wife Freda on the first weekend of indoor dining in 2021 Scott Lynch / Gothamist
Despite Governor Andrew Cuomo s theatrical announcement that restaurants could reopen at 25% capacity over Valentine s Day weekend ( Propose on Valentine s Day you have the wedding ceremony [in March], Cuomo declared), multiple restaurant workers told Gothamist that turnout was lighter than expected during the first three days of indoor dining’s return. They guessed that skittishness over new coronavirus variants, iffy weather, and trips out of town for the long weekend all resulted in fewer people making reservations to eat indoors.
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