It was inevitable that state government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic would wreak havoc on the leisure and hospitality industry, a “supersector” of the Connecticut economy.
Hundreds of restaurants have closed, some for good, due to capacity restrictions, while theaters and other entertainment venues have been dark.
Just how many?
“How many restaurants have failed during the pandemic?” asked a reader who responded to The Day’s CuriousCT feature. “What other entertainment venues will not be opening when permitted?”
Precise answers proved elusive.
Back in November, some eight months into the pandemic, the Connecticut Restaurant Association estimated more than 600 restaurants in the state had closed, either for an extended period or permanently, and that many more likely would experience a similar fate. The number has been bandied about since, but never officially updated. No organization, including the Connecticut Restaurant Association, the National Restaura