More restaurants may go under if they don't get some help from Congress soon in the form of stimulus relief. Many business owners are trying to decide if it's worth reopening in the New Year.
Business owners say the restaurant industry is an economic free fall. In light of the economic challenges in 2020, the Texas Restaurant Association is sending out a message to lawmakers: “Save Texas Restaurants”. They are highlighting the tens of thousands of food venues on the verge of going under.
“If we don’t see some significant financial help from the Congress, a lot of the restaurants who are holding on, they’re going to start making different decisions,” Melissa Stewart, the Executive Director of the Greater Houston Restaurant Association, told KTRH. “We’ve gone through cash reserves, we’ve gone through available help.”
She said we've lost 14 percent of our restaurants since the COVID closings in March, but without that additional help, she believes we could lose another 10 to 15 percent.