More and more New York City restaurants can’t pay the rent, another sign the industry’s struggles are getting worse during the pandemic.
The New York City Hospitality Alliance surveyed 400 restaurant owners and found 92% could not afford to pay their December rent.
The head of the Alliance, Andrew Rigie, said that percentage has been steadily increasing during the pandemic. “Restaurants are shuttering every day. I often say the question isn’t how many restaurants have shut yet. It’s how many are being kept open artificially. That’s because the state has a moratorium on commercial evictions," he said.
He’s calling on the local and federal governments to get restaurants financial help and to increase indoor dining capacity to 50% in the city.