Houston restaurants are getting hit hard once again. This time because of the new COVID-19 omicron variant.
The holidays are usually the busiest time of the year for many local restaurants. While some are thriving, others are feeling stressed. Traffic is drying up amid COVID fears. At least a dozen businesses shut their doors last week. Some restaurants are cutting their hours, and others are closing their indoor dining rooms temporarily.
“Unfortunately, most restaurants aren’t constructed that way and they need to rely on indoor dining and in-person dining in order to make their businesses work from a numbers standpoint,” Jonathan Horowitz, with Convive Hospitality, said.
He notes how many restaurants are switching (or in some cases switching back) to a take-out model.
“It’s so difficult to find staff right now so if they’re able to operate successfully with a reduced staff and just doing to-go business then it makes sense for them to do that,” Horowitz explained.
However, he's concerned that won't be enough to keep them afloat for very long.