With just over 1 million restaurants operating inside the U.S., more than 100,000 of them have shuttered permanently or long-term because of the pandemic. The closures occurred between March and August, according to a sweeping survey taken by the National Restaurant Association, which is based in Washington, D.C.
For restaurants still in business, the survey found overwhelmingly that a majority of operators are struggling to survive. That said, nearly 3 million restaurant employees remain out of work.
The association in addition reported that 40 percent of restaurateurs still in business feel their restaurants won’t be in operation six months from now if there are no additional relief packages from the federal government.