1/4 of American Restaurants Won't Reopen, Open Table says

[marmar]

(AdAge) One in every four U.S. restaurants will go out of business due to the coronavirus quarantines that have battered the food service industry, according to a forecast by OpenTable.

The bleak projection underscores the widespread pain for American restaurants as lockdowns have forced people to cook at home or order takeout rather than eat out. Total reservations and walk-in customers from OpenTable’s network were down 95 percent on May 13 from the same day a year ago, according to data from the service, which is owned by Booking Holdings Inc.

This has been calamitous for the industry. Restaurants lost more than $30 billion in sales during March and $50 billion in April, according to National Restaurant Association estimates. In 2019, U.S. Bureau of Labor data showed 9.6 million Americans working in food service.

OpenTable tracks more than 54,000 restaurants on its reservation site for online and phone reservations as well as walk-in customers. Take-out and deliveries are excluded. ..............(more)

https://adage.com/article/news/one-quarter-american-restaurants-wont-reopen-opentable-says/2257136

[onecaliberal]

1. There is zero possibility I will eat inside any restaurant anytime soon, maybe never again.

[jimfields33]

4. I keep saying I can't wait to go, but I will wait until at least Disney World opens fully

I figure they are going to be extremely careful on opening the park. And I’m not talking the let’s take temperatures timeframe. I’m talking back to full admission and only bags checked.

[Pantagruel]

2. Some people simply can't cook

They eat virtually every meal out.

[virgogal]

5. And some people are just lonely and need the interraction with others.

[Siwsan]

3. With few exceptions, the only time I 'eat out' is when I travel. And I'm not traveling, for now.

Sometimes I super crave fish and chips or a Halo Burger (a local chain) and when we go to our favorite brewery, there's a fantastic taco truck on the premises. (Shout out to Tenacity Brewery and Flint City Tacos!!)

But other than that, I'd rather eat at home. I'm a really good and creative cook who loves to cook, and I come from a family of really good and creative cooks who love to cook. When we get together, every meal is an event. I'm really looking forward to being able to return to our food and drink fests.

[Auggie]

6. I've already had it with "high-end" restaurants ... they're such a rip-off.

Mrs Auggie and I can cook as well at home for a fraction of the cost.

I'll support Mom and Pop diners, decent fast food (it does exist), but I've had it paying for $30 entrees, $10 sides, and 200% mark-ups on wine.