In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron sits down with Andrew Zimmern, an award-winning chef and television personality. Barron and Zimmern explore the impact coronavirus has had on local restaurant communities and their employees.
Episode Highlights:
What is happening in U.S. restaurant communities, in terms of food and social concerns?
Is What’s Eating America still in production?
How will restaurant operators move forward?
For many restaurants, the only thing that can save them is aid from the local and federal government.
How should restaurants go about rebuilding consumer confidence?
Three Key Points:
Even where social restrictions have been lifted, many restaurants are concerned about whether they should open at all. The restaurant industry is hamstrung right now: cases are back on the rise almost nationwide, and some hospitals are once again close to being overwhelmed. Restaurants are having to choose between public health and the survival of their business with little to no federal aid or guidance.
Operators to plead their case for governmental aid. Most small businesses and independent restaurants will not survive without it. Restaurants need relief; otherwise, coronavirus will have effectively served as an extinction event.
If you include employees on the front and back side of the supply chain, restaurants encompass over fifty million workers of diverse backgrounds and lifestyles that tend to need more flexible jobs. If the industry is not protected, all of these people’s livelihoods may be destroyed—if they are not already suffering.
Tweetable Quotes:
“You cannot contain and mitigate a viral pandemic if you are allowing people to congregate in places where other people are congregating. Restaurants are being put in the position of being arbiters of the public health.” – Andrew Zimmern
“The number one unemployed [group] in America continues to be people from the independent restaurant and hospitality sector, so restaurants are really between a rock and a hard place right now and are desperate for sales.” – Andrew Zimmern
“We have simply shut our doors with a ‘hopefully we’ll be open soon’ sign. There are some restaurants that have officially gone out of business.” – Andrew Zimmern
Watch here