Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

10,000 of America's restaurants are expected to close in the next three weeks

10,000 of America's restaurants are expected to close in the next three weeks

About 17% of America's restaurants have already permanently closed this year, with thousands more on the brink according to a new report.
The National Restaurant Association is publicly pleading with Congress to pass new stimulus to help the industry that has been damaged by the pandemic. The group said Monday that 10,000 restaurants could close in the next three weeks, in addition to the 110,000 that have already shuttered in 2020.

The group released results from a survey of 6,000 restaurant operators, revealing that 87% of full-service restaurants reported an average 36% drop in revenue and 83% expects sales to be "even worse" over the next three months as the virus continues to lash the United States.

"In short, the restaurant industry simply cannot wait for relief any longer," said Sean Kennedy, executive vice president for the group, said in a release. He advocates for a "true compromise" between the competing Democrat and Republican proposals and hopes for a larger stimulus package in 2021 under the incoming Biden administration.

CNN Business' dashboard tracking America's recovery shows a steep drop in restaurant reservations -- down 70% during the pandemic. They recovered in September, but have fallen once again since.

A bipartisan stimulus proposal that includes an extension of the Paycheck Protection Program, which a group that includes Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia wants, could be unveiled this week. However, holdups over other issues means it's unclear if a deal will be reached.

Another measure, called the Restaurants Act of 2020, was passed by the Democratic-controlled House in October as part of a $2.2 trillion stimulus relief package. But it has not been taken up by the Republican-controlled Senate and is unclear if that will be part of any final relief package.

Restrictions on indoor dining capacity in some US states and other lockdowns stipulations, like curfews, have ravaged the industry. A number of national chains filed for bankruptcy this year, including Ruby Tuesday's and California Pizza Kitchen, which has resulted in the closure of hundreds of locations.

This week, a Los Angeles business owner who was forced to shut down her restaurant said she felt restaurants and other small businesses are being unfairly targeted by California's new and stricter stay-at-home order.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
The Great Western Exit: Why Best Citizens Are Fleeing the Rich World [PODCAST]
The New Robber Barons of Intelligence: Are AI Bosses More Powerful Than Rockefeller?
The End of the Old Order [Podcast]
Britain’s Democracy Is Now a Costume
The AI Gold Rush Is Coming for America’s Last Open Spaces [Podcast]
The Pentagon’s AI Squeeze: Eight Tech Giants Get In, Anthropic Gets Shut Out [Podcast]
The War Map: Professor Jiang’s Dark Theory of Iran, Trump, China, Russia, Israel, and the Coming Global Shock [Podcast]
Labour Is No Longer a National Party [Podcast]
AI Isn’t Stealing Your Job. It’s Dismantling It Piece by Piece.
Lawyers vs Engineers: Why China Builds While America Litigates [Podcast]
Churchill’s Glass: The Drunk, the Doctor, and the Myth Britain Refuses to Sober Up From
Apple issues an unusual warning: this is how your iPhone can be hacked without you doing anything
The Met Gala Meets the Age of Billionaire Backlash
Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht Crosses Hormuz via Iran-Controlled Route
Gunfire Disrupts White House Correspondents’ Dinner as Trump Is Evacuated
A Leak, a King, and a Fracturing Alliance
Inside the Gates Foundation Turmoil: Layoffs, Scrutiny, and the Cost of Reputational Risk
UK Biobank Breach Exposes Health Data of 500,000, Listed for Sale on Chinese Platform
KPMG Cuts Around 10% of US Audit Partners After Failed Exit Push
French Police Probe Suspected Weather-Data Tampering After Unusual Polymarket Bets on Paris Temperatures
News Roundup
Microsoft lost 2.5 millions users (French government) to Linux
Privacy Problems in Microsoft Windows OS
News roundup
Péter András Magyar and the Strategic Reset of Hungary
Hungary After the Landslide — A Strategic Reset in Europe
×