Just days before, Mayor Bill de Blasio had stated that it was safe for healthy diners to continue eating out, but as cases in the city and state began to skyrocket, public officials changed course. MaNew York requires restaurants to reduce capacityįollowing a ban on large events with more than 500 people, the state mandated restaurants reduce capacity by half as cases climbed past 300 in the state. Establishments also saw a decline in bookings for the spring. Some nixed plans altogether while others asked for events to be postponed until the summer. Just days after the first reported COVID-19 case in Manhattan, hotels, catering companies, and large restaurants across the city saw cancellations of events or corporate parties. Early March 2020 - Mass event cancellations at NYC restaurants Chinese restaurants would continue to suffer disproportionately in the coming months due to a mix of vandalism and discrimination, but the initial hit to their sales was the first real indication of what was to come for the restaurant industry at large. government imposed on China, which led to a major drop in Chinese tourists, the second largest group of international travelers to the city. This was in large part due to xenophobia and the spread of misinformation related to the virus on top of travel restrictions the U.S. Long before a majority of the city’s restaurants saw a massive drop in business, restaurants located in NYC’s various Chinatowns were already experiencing a decline in sales. Late January 2020 - NYC’s Chinese restaurants take a hit Hwa Yuan was one of the many Chinese restaurants that took a hit early on Photo by Gary He As we head into an uncertain, but hopeful 2021, Eater is taking a look back at the year that changed everything for restaurants in NYC highlighting the biggest developments and most innovations from the year gone by. Restaurants continue to create elaborate outdoor dining setups now that NYC has permitted al fresco eating year round.īut winter has only started and things are likely to get a lot harder for NYC restaurants in the coming months before they get better once more people are vaccinated and warmer weather allows more people to eat outside. Some have significantly altered and expanded menus to become more takeout and delivery friendly - not to mention the advent of to-go cocktails - and others have created large retail components selling pantry staples like chile oils and bread. Still, restaurants have reinvented themselves - often several times - within the last 10 months while facing one obstacle after another. Since the state-mandated shutdown in March this year, more than 1,000 NYC restaurants have permanently closed, countless restaurant staffers are still without jobs, and experts have predicted more than half of New York restaurants could close over the coming months due to the mix of cold weather and limited financial aid. Those are greater losses than any time in the city’s recorded post-WWII history, including the Great Recession.The COVID-19 pandemic has exacted an unimaginable toll on the restaurant industry. The previous year, with its mix of thousands of deaths and intermittent lockdowns, devastated New York City economically, causing the Big Apple to shed more than 630,000 jobs in 2020. School children will also need vaccine proof for extracurriculars like sports. On 27 December, all private sector employers will face a new vaccine mandate with no opt-outs for regular testing instead, a policy expected to touch 184,000 business.Īdditionally, all those 12 and older will be required to show proof of being fully vaccinated to access indoor dining, fitness, and entertainment, and those under 12 will be required to prove having had one dose. “So while my number one goal is to protect the health of New Yorkers, I also want to protect the health of the economy.”Īround 82 per cent of adults in New York City are vaccinated, well above the national average, and the city is planning further restrictions to contain the spread of the virus. “This spreads quickly, but it’s not as dangerous,” she said on Friday. New York governor Kathy Hochul struck a similar tone on Friday, pointing to early indications that while the Omicron variant may appear to spread more quickly than the now-dominant Delta strain, many cases thus far appear to be mild. "We’re going to have a challenging few weeks, but the good news is based on everything our healthcare leadership understands at this moment, we are talking about a matter of weeks," Mr de Blasio said on Monday, adding, ââ“We cannot let those restrictions come back, we cannot have shutdowns here in New York City, we got to keep moving forward.”
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