Monday, January 24, 2022

Restaurant Assn: More Covid Relief Needed

 The Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association issued the following press release. 

The Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association released new survey data highlighting the devastating impact the omicron variant has had so far, and the positive impact the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) had on the Mississippi industry. According to National Restaurant Association analysis, the first round of RRF funding saved more than 5,000 Mississippi jobs and helped 100% of recipients of a grant stay in business.  

 

In addition, the survey found:

 

  • Nearly 22% of restaurant operators that did not receive RRF grants feel it’s unlikely that they will stay in business beyond the pandemic without a grant. 
  • 94% of restaurant operators that applied for an RRF grant, but did not receive funding, said a future grant would enable them to retain or hire back employees.  

 

“This highlights how impactful RRF replenishment would be. The National Restaurant Association estimates indicate that full replenishment of the RRF will save an additional 10,000 restaurant jobs,” said Pat Fontaine, Executive Director. “The RRF was a critical lifeline to many, but far more remain on the sidelines, desperately looking for support amidst continued economic uncertainty. The decisions Congress could make in the coming weeks will be critical toward the future of the restaurants that are so proud to serve our communities.”

 

The restaurant industry was hit hard by the latest surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the omicron variant. Forced to adapt to deteriorating consumer confidence, restaurants reduced hours/days of operation, cut seating capacity, and shutdown, pivoting to off-premises dining with the end result being lower sales volumes in 2021 than in 2019. 

 

According to the survey, we know:

 

  • 68% of restaurants experienced a decline in customer demand for indoor on-premises dining in because of the omicron variant. 
  • 54% of operators report that business conditions are worse now than three months ago.
  • 59% say their restaurant is less profitable now than it was before the pandemic. 

 

“The new data show that restaurant recovery is paralyzed and nowhere near complete. The restaurant industry is at an inflection point, and Congress must act now to replenish the RRF,” said Fontaine.

 


The Mississippi findings were provided by the National Restaurant Association Research Group, which conducted a COVID-19 Restaurant Impact Survey of 4,200 restaurant operators Jan. 16-18, 2022. Read the report of key Mississippi findings www.msra.org .

 

47 comments:

Anonymous said...

Agreed! Also can we get any more of that PPP money! bills keep coming.

Kingfish said...

Guess it hasn't figured out increasing money supply 40% might have something to do with their costs going up.

Anonymous said...

HAHAAHAAH ! And what will they do with this money ? Shore up their classic car collection ? Maybe get that full on vacation package down the RTJ golf trail ? How about instead fighting against WHY you are in this spot to begin with ! And maybe lower that standard of living for the wife and brats. Sooo sick of this whole thing. Worst part is the folks getting all that money who's eatery consists of breakfast buscuits made in their own home oven and they bank 200 % profit per bisquit at the country store. Outside BBQ PITS etc.... You know who you are.

Kingfish said...

You left out expensive Shelby engines. I take that back. There is no such thing as a cheap Shelby engine.

Anonymous said...

All of the places I frequent have “help wanted” signage. Seems like there are plenty of employment opportunities without a grant…

Anonymous said...

less restaurants=only the ones with support will survive. how many restaurants do we need anyway?

Anonymous said...

I paid $20 for a hamburger, fries, and a drink at what I consider a mid tier counter service restaurant. The saving grace is that the food is nationally known for being good quality. If you are going to charge current market price the product quality or total dining experience has to be competitively worth it. If you permit boorish Jacksonians to ruin the experience I'll go somewhere else. If your food isn't above average I'll go somewhere else. Restaurant owners are going to quickly find out that at current price points they cannot tolerate mediocrity or tolerate poorly behaved customers that ruin their atmosphere.

Anonymous said...

BS about hiring back more employees. Most restaurants can’t find employees. Demand is not the issue.

Anonymous said...

But but if they go out of business where will I be able to go to get subpar food served by angry women with purple hair

Anonymous said...

Restaurants make people fatter. Fat people die of Covid (and heart disease, and cancer, and other metabolic related diseases). Let the restaurants die. Eat healthier at home and save taxpayers’ money with reduced healthcare costs.

Anonymous said...

I can understand, and even accept, the devestating impact that the first round of COVID did to the restaurant business. Most were closed entirely - some found ways to do well with a takeout business (in fact, some of the finer restaurants in the metro area had a larger net profit than their normal operation, but there was still a terrible effect on many of their employees.)

But, to claim that the current status of COVID is killing them financially looks to be a stretch. Yes, their cost of goods is significantly increased - thanks to the continual pumping of printed paper dollars into the economy resulting in inflation that affects all of us. But for most places, they don't seem to be suffering from a lack of patrons. Their hours are not being curtailed (in our state, can't speak to some of the others that I'm sure the Restaurant Association is actually trying to lobby for); there are no restrictions on their service.

Will their price point have to be increased? Evidently yes, because everywhere I have been the past couple of months have increased their cost by 10 to 15% from last year. Their bigger problem seems to be able to get enough staff to keep normal hours, because their help decided that staying home on their rear end, drawing increased unemployment, working for cash on the side, and many with their child credit tax have chosen not to go back to work.

Adding to the disaster that these continued 'bailouts' are having on the economy is not the solution. But knowing that with the current administration they are likely to be successful, I am heading to the big box store to purchase me another wheelbarrow. Gonna need it to haul the paper dollars next time I need to go to the grocery store. Or to go out to eat. Will have to get one easy to push - the number of loads it will take to get a tank of gas will be more than I can handle.

Anonymous said...

The state is awash in cash, is it offering any grants or loans to these businesses?

Anonymous said...

@5:34
Are these “boorish” customers that you can’t tolerate simply a different race with a different cultural norma for socializing than you? If so, then you are simply an bigot.

Anonymous said...

Crazy how the Chinese buffets, (any buffet really) Crab Shacks, and greasy spoon Mexican cantinas never struggle in Mississippi!

Anonymous said...

@6:59
You can get plenty fat at home eating pizza rolls and ice cream while watching Star Trek reruns. I know because I did.

Anonymous said...

@7:18 why are you assigning certain cultural norma to a certain race? That seems rather bigoted in and of itself to associate culture with certain skin colors. Standards of behavior are colorblind. Trying to pass off poor behavior as a cultural crutch is the soft bigotry of lower standards.

Anonymous said...

@8:51
Who exactly said what you are claiming? Are you drunk?

Anonymous said...

Paying the minimum wage for a restaurant worker - $2.13 - is never a good idea.

Anonymous said...

"@5:34 Are these “boorish” customers that you can’t tolerate simply a different race with a different cultural norma for socializing than you? If so, then you are simply an bigot."

Who are you calling AN bigot? I see no mention of race or culture, only boorish behavior.

By the way, Leonardo, 'cultural norms' go out the window when one enters an establishment where establishment-norms exist. If you can't conform to that, stay the hell out on the sidewalk. The restaurant is there to serve you food in exchange for payment...not to adapt to your cultural norms.

Anonymous said...

Has "One Term Tater" offered to help these poor struggling Mississippians

Anonymous said...

Trump paid out about twice the amount of free money as Biden. And unvaccinated Sarah Palin now has covid after dining at Elio's in NYC in violation of local law. Maybe she'll win the Herman Cain award.

Anonymous said...

7:18 : Boorish indicates those who order their food then once they get the food claim it's not what they ordered after enjoying a couple bites....then while waiting for a new order they have a manager comp or get the whole table half price all the while talking so loud no one in the eatery can enjoy their meal. They end the meal by leaving a shitty tip. These types of people suck.

Anonymous said...

Tips are 20% now.

Kingfish said...

Or yapping away on cellphones, yapping on speakerphone, or playing videos. Pretty boorish too. One reason I don't go to little Tokyo much even though it's my favorite hibachi.

Anonymous said...

grifters-

Anonymous said...

Y’all ain’t hiding yall racism very well.
Thankfully all you tightass white boys are too chickenshit to do anything about “boorish” patrons 🤣 😂

Anonymous said...

'Tips are 20% now. 8:51 AM'

You and other people who portend to tell us what we are supposed to pay are a large part of the problem.

Anonymous said...

Boorish is the type of word that a low T beta male manlet would use to describe the Alpha male chad that his girlfriend won’t stop swooning over.

Anonymous said...

@9:08
If you are too cheap to tip properly then please stay home and make your own damn food. Cuz we gone spit in it.

Anonymous said...

Forgive me for my lack of sympathy as these restaurant owners didn't fight back for the livelihoods when Tater tot shut them down or went right along with shams like spreading tables 6 feet apart or forcing patrons to wear a mask while walking or standing in the restaurant and taking it off while seated well because we all know the virus only spreads 5 feet or above, right?

Anonymous said...

9:05 is stating that all of the negative (boorish) behavior examples discussed are linked to POC, yet is accusing others of racism?

Anonymous said...

Don’t tell Chip at Angelos in Gluckstadt

He needs more chairs and tables and hands to feed the throngs of people he gets.

It’s some damn good food too.

Wish he’d smile more but it is what it is

Keep it up

Anonymous said...

9:08. I agree. Tips are optional. Pay the servers a living wage and we can eliminate tipping. Works for fast food places just fine—and they rarely have a worker shortage or go looking for a handout.

Anonymous said...

I have victim mentality fatigue and overly dramatized news fatigue.

Remember when we just let the businesses that are failing fail.

Anonymous said...

9:05 : So you are saying the behavior is by design or are you saying that it's in the genes ? I quit going to movies because of teenagers who ALL act the same now at the movies (boorish). Lol, how many free meals has your ass gotten over the years ?

Anonymous said...

I wait tables at Char, which is being overtaken by "boorish" customers as described by 8:51. It sucks and getting a decent tip is a stretch. I honestly don't think that tipping etiquette was ever a part of their home training.

Anonymous said...

7:56 So, Unvaccinated Palin now has Covid which she apparently caught from a room full of fully vaccinated, and properly masked, people. Maybe if all you fully vaccinated, masked lemmings stayed the hell at home, the rest of us wouldn't have to worry about catching your Kung Flu.

Anonymous said...

9:46 : Let me guess, got a 4 top ...two order the same thing and two order different things...then once the order is at the table and bites have been taken.......either the food is "bad" or the order was wrong ? And to make the experience even better they are rude and want the food for free...and a go box.

Anonymous said...

9:59 Over 10,000 Mississippians have died from the so-called "kung-flu." We as a nation are closing in on 900,000. I doubt any of them would find that a funny term.

Anonymous said...

Yes, please tip generously, as it is what it is (tipping). It's almost an exclusive American thing.

If you covet inflation, keep giving out/taking that free money.

Anonymous said...

To those who think boorish behavior is their right, fine, whatever, but don't expect polite considerate people to enjoy being around you. When our kids chaffed at our insisting they practice manners, even at home, we explained that manners are not about being pretentious, but about being thoughtful towards others. You don't put your elbows on the table because you are invading the next guy's space. You don't chew with your mouth open because no one wants to see that. You don't stick your legs out in the aisle, you might trip someone. Keep your conversation at a level meant for your table only, other folks are trying to converse too. Etc, Etc. Just don't expect to garner respect with rude selfish behavior.

Kingfish said...

Some restaurants try to enforce standards. However, what unfortunately all too often happens is the perp turns into a "victim" and runs to social media with a completely made up story. Several hundred or thousand people buy it, and then the restaurant owner loses business because he tried to provide a nice experience for the other diners. Example: The coke ho who got thrown out of Babalu who trashed the place to the media. It was working to until Babalu produced a video that showed otherwise.

Anonymous said...

Note to the asshats : When you order a whiskey on the rocks it is expensive and usually is about a shot. Crying that you were shorted and over charged because the bartender is racist was simply wrong. I would suggest trying the trade for yourself to learn manners.

Anonymous said...

9:21 : A really good source told me that the FAST FOOD WORKERS are spitting in the food if they know you are white. This source told me it's a game they play. 15 an hour just angry teens lazier. My source thinks it's funny ! "Stated, that's why I quit eating there after I got fired".

Anonymous said...

The dog whistles in this thread are so loud I'm going deaf. I am glad I do not eat out much as to experience this kind of behavior. As a past restaurant worker, I can say definitely don't piss off your waiter before your food arrives at your table. You are taking your chances. With respect to boorish behavior, are we talking about the younger set of black patrons (ages 18-25 or so)? I said for everyone, so that we do not have to beat around the bush. You are anonymous on a damn blog, who cares if you let your true colors show? Let the world know if you are a good or shit human being. Why hide it?

Anonymous said...

11:38 : My white female friend growing up was the most boorish i've ever seen. It was so bad no one would go to eat with her. I told her once..."that ain't cheese Mary, it's spit". She was terrible.

Anonymous said...

The RRF ran out of money on the FIRST day. What that means is that the ones who got it are now flush with cash and their poor competitors are stuck dealing with the ramifications of all that free money going around in the form of higher costs while they did not receive any benefit. It’s a classic case of the government creating winners (those who got their application in early on the first day) and losers (those who were “too late”). The way the program was administered was extremely unfair since there was not nearly enough put into it to get everyone what they qualified for…..they probably should’ve lowered the qualified amount more and spread the money around so that everyone that applied got SOMETHING.


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If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

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