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| Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images |
It’s famine or feast for American restaurants right now.
Establishments in deep-blue cities that faced both excessive COVID-19 restrictions plus violent protests in 2020 are starved for diners, according to global data.
The same source shows that Sun Belt boomtowns in Florida, Texas and Arizona are busier than ever and enjoying a massive surge in restaurant business this year.
The divide between the two is startling.
The number of daily diners in the city of Minneapolis was down an average of 54.3% in July — so the city had less than half the number of people eating out, compared with July 2019, according to OpenTable.
It’s the worst recovery of any city in the world tracked by the restaurant reservation service.
The state of Florida, meanwhile, has four of the top six surging cities in America, with the average number of people dining out in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Naples and Tampa up nearly 30% from July 2019 to July 2022. --->READ MORE HERE
Restaurateurs are locked in an epic clash over outdoor dining with local officials in the Hamptons, whose inspectors increasingly have begun to enforce a return to pre-pandemic rules.
Restaurants from Southampton to Montauk who claim they have depended on extra seating to survive during the pandemic gripe that they have been hit by fresh waves of “over-the-top” inspections and fines for exceeding capacity that are ruining their livelihoods during the critical money-making summer months.
“They took off the brakes and they say they are making up for lost time,” one restaurateur told Side Dish, referring to the crackdown by local officials. “They want to take back the outdoor spaces or restrict them, but who do you think pays our tax revenue base?”
The business owner — who, like many interviewed by Side Dish, asked to remain anonymous for fear of additional wrath — said in one instance police were going to seize his sound equipment.
“What do you think this is, the Soviet f—- Union?” the restaurateur fumed. “You can’t come take my s—. The law doesn’t work like that. It’s so messed up. We need a hospitality alliance.” --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
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USA TODAY: Coronavirus Updates
WSJ: Coronavirus Live Updates
YAHOO NEWS: Coronavirus Live Updates
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