Member-only story
How Restaurants Are Navigating the Threat of Coronavirus
The temporary closings have begun
New York restaurateur Danny Meyer tweeted a plea on March 6, asking people to continue to dine out.
“If you’re no longer traveling somewhere out of town,” he wrote, “please do all you can to support your favorite local restaurants.”
A week later, Meyer announced he will temporarily close all 19 of his restaurants; on Friday Le Bernardin and Daniel also announced their closing.
Earlier in the week, Meyer posted a video on Twitter, citing the extraordinary circumstances of the moment and pointed to things we can do for each other, as well as how his Union Square Hospitality Group would help mitigate the effects of coronavirus for staff and customers. USHG, which offers employees sick leave, has also announced it will cover expenses for diagnosis and treatment for coronavirus.
“We’ve gone through a lot of really, really tough things in this company over many, many years…9/11 was one,” he said. “The Gulf War even before that was another one. There have been deep financial recessions. This is a big one right now. Our business is going to be impacted.”
As March progresses, restaurants are feeling the hit across the country. While restaurants may seem like a secondary…
