You are reading

More Than 90 Percent of NYC Restaurants Couldn’t Afford December Rent: Report

Feb. 17, 2021 By Allie Griffin

Restaurant owners are struggling to keep their businesses afloat after relying on outdoor dining alone during the cold winter months.

Indoor dining just reopened in the city at 25 percent capacity last Friday, but a new report shows the toll its absence has had on city eateries.

More than 90 percent of New York City restaurants couldn’t afford their December rent, according to a survey conducted by the NYC Hospitality Alliance, a nonprofit association that represents NYC restaurants, bars and nightlife.

The survey found that 92 percent of the more than 400 restaurants who responded to the survey couldn’t pay their rent for December. That’s up from 88 percent in October and 80 percent in June, the association said.

About 40 percent of the respondents said their landlords reduced rent due to COVID-19, but just 14 percent have been able to successfully re-negotiate leases, the survey found.

The restaurant industry has shed more than 140,000 jobs in the last year due to the pandemic and accompanying restrictions, the report states. Before COVID-19 devastated the industry, New York City’s 25,000 restaurants, bars and nightclubs employed 325,000 people, according to the NYC Hospitality Alliance.

Thousands of bars and restaurants have permanently closed, the association said.

The NYC Hospitality Alliance applauded the recent return of indoor dining, but said 25 percent capacity isn’t enough to help struggling small businesses.

They want it to be increased to 50 percent as it is in other parts of the state.

“We’re nearly a year into the public health and economic crisis that has decimated New York City’s restaurants, bars, and nightlife venues,” said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance.

“While the reopening of highly regulated indoor dining is welcome news, we need to safely increase occupancy to 50% as soon as possible, and we urgently need robust and comprehensive financial relief from the federal government.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Far Rockaway man sentenced to 24 years to life for fatal 2021 shooting near Mott Avenue station: DA

Far Rockaway resident Waturi Johnson was sentenced Friday to 24 years to life in prison for the fatal shooting of Uriah Richardson, a father of three who was gunned down in broad daylight in front of the Mott Avenue A train station 2021. The two men did not know each other.

Johnson, 54, of Beach 30th Street, was convicted of murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon charges by a jury in Queens Supreme Court in June following a two-week trial reaching the guilty verdict after deliberating for approximately four hours.

Brooklyn man charged in viral Belt Parkway crash scheme captured on victim’s dashcam: DA

A Brooklyn man was criminally charged with staging a car crash on the Belt Parkway in Rosedale last month that was captured on the dashboard camera in the victim’s car and went viral on social media after it was posted on TikTok, where it was viewed by millions worldwide.

Maikel Martinez, 28, of 14th Avenue in Dyker Heights, was apprehended by law enforcement Thursday at JFK Airport after arriving back in Queens on a flight from Ecuador, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Friday.

SUV explosion rocks South Ozone Park street, damaging homes and vehicles on Friday morning: FDNY

A quiet residential street in South Ozone Park was rocked by a thunderous explosion on Friday morning after an SUV filled with dangerous construction materials detonated in front of 131-16 133 St. five blocks west of the Van Wyck Expressway.

The massive blast damaged five homes and brought down Con Edison power lines on the block and obliterated the vehicle that belonged to a plumber who lives there. No one was injured in the blast but several residents of the block were near the vehicle just before it exploded, officials said..