Economic Analysis

Restaurant employment in 47 states and the District of Columbia remained below February’s pre-coronavirus level.

The total shortfall in restaurant and foodservice sales topped $200 billion during the first seven months of the pandemic.

After an initial hiring surge in the aftermath of the coronavirus lockdowns, restaurant job growth slowed significantly in recent months.

Five states – South Dakota, Maine, Indiana, Idaho and Mississippi – surpassed their pre-coronavirus restaurant employment peaks.

Seven in 10 operators say off-premises sales represent a higher proportion of their total business compared to pre-coronavirus levels.

As total restaurant sales losses topped $185 billion, a majority of operators do not expect their business to fully recover within 6 months.

The restaurant industry added just 133,600 jobs in August, and staffing levels remain nearly 2.5 million jobs below the pre-coronavirus peak.

Four states – Texas, Arizona, Florida and Oklahoma – lost eating and drinking place jobs in July.

A majority of U.S. adults say they know of a restaurant in their community that has permanently closed during the coronavirus outbreak.

The total shortfall in restaurant and foodservice sales surpassed $165 billion during the first five months of the pandemic.

Restaurant job growth is expected to be choppy in the months ahead, following the initial bounce of 3 million jobs in May and June.

The total shortfall in restaurant and foodservice sales reached an estimated $145 billion during the first four months of the pandemic.

The impressive two-month employment bounce only marks the beginning of a long climb back to pre-coronavirus staffing levels.

While the May job growth is a positive sign, it only marks the beginning of a painfully long road to recovery for the restaurant industry.

The total shortfall in restaurant and foodservice sales likely surpassed $120 billion during the first three months of the pandemic.

Although restaurants added 1.4 million jobs in May, their staffing levels remain down more than any other industry.

Sales, employment and capital spending levels are expected to remain dampened through the end of the year.

Many of the half-million seasonal restaurant jobs will not exist this summer, which will limit opportunities for first-time job seekers.

Adjusting for inflation, consumer spending at eating and drinking places plunged to its lowest level since October 1984.

Restaurants have lost nearly three times more jobs than any other industry since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak.

New survey indicates that pent-up demand for restaurants is elevated, even as many consumers maintain their off-premises frequency.

New survey assesses the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the restaurant industry.

While it doesn’t come close to making up for sales losses, a majority of consumers are maintaining their off-premises usage of restaurants.

The March employment report was the not-so-calm before the storm.