Restaurants & Bars
Survey Shows CT Restaurants Still Feel The Pain From The Pandemic
75 percent of local restaurants say sales are still weaker than pre-pandemic levels.
Press release from The Connecticut Restaurant Association:
Oct. 13, 2021
A new survey of restaurant operators in Connecticut shows that the industry continues to be negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the state economy has slowly worked its way back from the worst months of the pandemic, this new data makes clear that restaurants still have a long way to go as they continue to struggle with lower-than-normal sales, staffing problems, and higher costs of goods.
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Before the pandemic, Connecticut’s restaurant industry accounted for more than 8,500 eating and drinking locations across the state, employing more than 160,000 people in restaurant and foodservice jobs, which represents nearly 10 percent of the state workforce.
“While Connecticut continues to be a national leader on combating COVID, it’s clear that restaurants are still being harmed by the pandemic and will be for some time,” said Scott Dolch, Executive Director of the Connecticut Restaurant Association. “This new data shines a light on how the pandemic has placed a heavy burden on restaurant owners and their staff; from food costs to hiring new employees, local restaurants are struggling to make ends meet. As we continue to navigate through these challenges, we look to our state and local leaders to continue to encourage people to support their local businesses, so we can all work together to bolster Connecticut’s economy.”
Find out what's happening in Across Connecticutfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Key findings from the survey include:
The Delta variant dampened indoor dining at 88% of restaurants in the state
78% of restaurants are understaffed
75% of local restaurants’ August 2021 sales were weaker than 2019
48% of local operators think it could be more than 12 months until business normalizes and 23% think it never will
90% of operators are paying more for food
65% of operators are paying higher occupancy costs
79% of operators have higher labor costs 91% of operators have smaller profit margins
More information can be found at www.ctrestaurant.org.
This press release was produced by The Connecticut Restaurant Association. The views expressed here are the author's own.
