Struggles and Uncertainties in the Restaurant Industry Amidst the Pandemic

An emerging coronavirus relief package may not do enough to help restaurants hobbled by the pandemic, many of which have struggled to make ends meet all year — with 100,000 restaurants closed on a permanent or long-term basis, according to a survey from the National Restaurant Association.

Andrew Genung, the writer behind the restaurant industry newsletter Family Meal, explains why so many restaurants did not get enough help in the first round of relief passed by Congress early in the pandemic.

Nya Marshall, owner of Ivy Kitchen and Cocktails in Detroit, describes the adjustments necessary to run her restaurant this year.

And at least one restaurant-adjacent business is doing well: Auction Factory, which repairs and sells liquidated restaurant equipment. Cleveland-based owner Russell Cross tells NPR his warehouse is full of equipment from shuttered restaurants.

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