What Can Restaurants Do to Survive the Winter Season?

The end is now in sight. The vaccine rollout has begun and, perhaps by the second quarter of next year, life can start to “return to normal.” But restaurants must first survive the winter – literally and figuratively.

The arrival of colder weather probably means the end of outdoor dining in many parts of the country. Still, survey data from the National Restaurant Association offers hope that many diners will maintain current on-premises (outside dining) habits through the winter. The late October survey found that a majority of consumers (74 percent) said they would continue to eat out “about the same as now” or “more frequently” over the next three months.

Tough Economics, with Some Options Coming That sentiment is positive news. Yet in concrete revenue terms, the U.S. Census Bureau found that November restaurant sales were down, sequentially, more than $2 billion. And between March and November, sales were off more than $190 billion from earlier projections…