One of the hardest hit areas of our economy amid the pandemic has been the restaurant industry. We're now getting a clearer picture of how much business restaurants lost in 2020.
A new Zenreach survey found in January of 2020, participating restaurants recorded 2.4 million in-person visits. In December, that number had dropped to only 700,000. Those who could best adapt to a takeaway and delivery model, fared better.
“This new normal really relies on technology, convenience, speed, etc.,” Houston restaurant consultant Jonathan Horowitz said. “That’s definitely a distinction we’ve seen over the past year or so.”
Horowitz, who is also the founder/CEO of Convive Hospitality Consulting, says fine dining has had the toughest time. The Zenreach survey found the biggest drop off in business was in Italian and traditional American family restaurants.