17% of America's restaurants have permanently closed this year, and The National Restaurant Association is publicly pleading with Congress to pass new stimulus to help.
10,000 restaurants could close in the next three weeks, in addition to the 110,000 that have already shuttered. 87% of full-service restaurants reported an average 36% drop in revenue and 83% expects sales to be "even worse".
"In short, the restaurant industry simply cannot wait for relief any longer," said Sean Kennedy, executive vice president for the group, said.
A bipartisan stimulus proposal that includes an extension of PPP could be unveiled this week, however it's unclear if a deal will be reached. Restrictions on indoor dining capacity and other lockdowns stipulations, like curfews, have ravaged the industry. A number of national chains filed for bankruptcy, 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.
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