MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Most Wisconsin restaurant owners think it will be at least the second half of 2021 — if ever — before business returns to normal after the coronavirus pandemic.
The National Restaurant Association polled 3,000 restaurant owners nationwide last month. The results for Wisconsin restaurants show 33% of operators think it will be 7-12 months before business conditions return to normal, 29% think it will be more than a year and 12% think business will never return to normal conditions.
As Congress debates another relief package, 13% of Wisconsin restaurant operators say they will probably or definitely be closed within three months if there is no additional relief.
Other key points of the survey include 83% of operators reporting lower sales in January 2021 compared to January 2020. Nine percent reported higher sales in January 2021 compared to the previous year. Overall, sales were down 30% comparing the two months. Additionally, half of Wisconsin restaurant operators expect February and March sales to decline from January levels.
Restaurants have been forced to put more efforts into off-premises sales. Although those rose, it wasn’t enough to make up for declines in on-premises sales.
As for jobs, 29% of operators say they laid off or furloughed employees in December or January. Overall staffing is still below usual levels, as 83% say they have fewer employees than they would in the absence of a pandemic. Most Wisconsin operators do not expect to increase staffing in the near term.
One bright spot from the survey was restaurants’ philanthropic activity. seventy-six percent say they have made a charitable contribution, be it in the form of cash, food, space, in-kind donations or volunteering, since pandemic restrictions began in March 2020.
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