Food
How You Can Help Support Workers in Virus-Stricken Restaurant Industry
It’s a moment when every dollar counts.
We’re tracking the latest on the coronavirus outbreak and the global response. Sign up here for our daily newsletter on what you need to know.
It’s been said before, but let’s repeat it: The restaurant industry is in an unprecedented crisis because of the Covid-19 coronavirus. An estimated two-thirds of the country’s eateries are independently owned, which means that a vast number of the industry’s 15 million workers have lost their jobs or are about to. Look no further than Union Square Hospitality Group, which had to lay off 80% of its staff—2,000 people—when it closed the group’s restaurants. It’s an unthinkable change from mere weeks ago, when the unemployment rate was 3.6%.