62% of Colorado Restaurants Considering Closing in Next 6 Months
If this news doesn't alarm you a little bit, it probably should. KDVR released the information yesterday about a recent survey conducted by the Colorado Restaurant Association that was held from July 15 through the 25th. This period is four months since Governor Jared Polis implemented the closing of restaurant dining rooms across the state of Colorado.
The good news is that restaurants have now been able to open with limited capacity. But then the new stipulation of last call being at 10 p.m. has been put into place to help slow the spread of COVID-19, which again hurts bar and restaurant business.
The results of the survey are not looking good as 62% of restaurant owners and managers who took the survey said that under the current conditions. The survey also revealed that 87,000 restaurant jobs were lost since the beginning of the pandemic.
The good news is that of the restaurants that took the survey 62% reported hiring back their employees. The bad news is that 48% of restaurants admitted that restaurants are expecting to make more layoffs after the Paycheck Protection Program loan money is gone.
Most restaurants have had to spend thousands of dollars that were unexpected due to this pandemic and most are reporting having to spend on average around $45,000 on PPE.
Restaurants are saying they desperately need more cash, increased capacity, and more customers.
This news hits me a little harder as my dad was a restaurant manager for 30+ years, so I grew up in the back of the house at many restaurants. These employees work very hard so to see them struggling is just tough. Please remember to support your favorite restaurants as much as possible and tip more than normal, it's needed right now.