Year End

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Here’s to more great outdoor dining in 2021.
iIlusrtration: Klaus Kremmerz

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By Kate Krader

December 18, 2020 at 9:40 AM UTC

This article is part of the December 21, 2020 issue of businessweek.

There’s no way to sugarcoat the impact of the pandemic virus on the restaurant industry.

In a Dec. 7 report, the National Restaurant Association said the industry was in “free fall,” with more than 110,000 restaurants closing since the start of Covid-19. Food-service revenue plunged an estimated $240 billion by the end of the year and restaurant staffing jobs fell 2 million below pre-pandemic levels, the NRA said.