Even so, there doesn’t seem to be much hope among restaurateurs. About 30 percent think it will be 7 to 12 months before business conditions return to normal for their restaurant, while 35 percent think it will be more than a year. About 14 percent believe business conditions will never return to normal.
Despite indoor dining capacity being upped in New York City and warmer weather ahead, close to half of restaurateurs think things will get worse before they get better: 46 percent believe their sales will decline in February and March from January’s levels.
The statewide survey echoes the problems being faced by restaurateurs in the five boroughs. A recent report by the New York City Hospitality Alliance found that 92 percent of restaurants surveyed could not make December rent. About 37 percent have deferred rental payments, which could lead to larger problems down the line.
More and more New York City restaurants can’t pay the rent, another sign the industry’s struggles are getting worse during the pandemic. The New York City
(The Center Square) – One week after New York City restaurants reopened indoor dining, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the city’s establishments soon will be able to welcome more patrons.
Fragrant baskets of grilled kebabs were served on wood tables freshly scrubbed with Lysol.
Diners were offered hand sanitizer and asked to keep their masks on when not eating or drinking. The waiter wore a mask too.
The dining room at Addy’s Barbeque in Astoria, Queens, showed signs of life again after indoor dining returned at limited capacity in New York City on Feb. 12, following a two-month shutdown amid a second wave of the coronavirus.
“At least something is better than nothing,” said Syed Hussain, 54, the restaurant’s owner. “What we were going through was nothing.”
The shutdown, the second time in the past year that the state had barred indoor dining in a city known around the world for its restaurants, was a blow to an industry that has been decimated by the pandemic.