83 Percent Of NYC Restaurants Couldn't Pay July Rent: Survey
NEW YORK CITY — July proved another tough month for New York City's bars and restaurants amid the continued coronavirus crisis, a new survey found.
A full 83 percent of city eateries could not pay their full rent in July, according to a NYC Hospitality Alliance survey. Thirty-seven percent of those businesses couldn't pay any rent, the survey states.
"Restaurants and nightlife venues are essential to the economic and social fabric of our city, but they are struggling to survive and absent immediate and sweeping relief so many will be forced to close permanently," said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, in a statement.
The rent report surveyed about 500 people who own or run bars, restaurants and nightlife establishments in the city. Their responses detail not only difficulties making July's rent with indoor dining still on hold, but also troubles with landlords.
Landlords — 71 percent of them — refused to waive rent because of coronavirus, the survey found. What's more, 61 percent of landlords would not defer rent payments and 90 percent of them would not formally renegotiate leases, according to the results.
The NYC Hospitality Alliance released the survey results the same morning Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city's "Open Restaurants" outdoor dining program would return next year.
De Blasio praised the program as a success that helped bring 80,000 workers back to their jobs. But the Alliance, in a release, stated the outdoor dining has not generated enough revenue for restaurants and bars to cover their rent and expenses.
Indoor dining remains on pause in New York City, the Alliance noted. Until the "necessary" pause ends, eateries will remain impacted, Rigie said.
"Small businesses urgently need solutions from government leaders at the city, state, and federal level, inclusive of extending the moratorium on evictions, extending the suspension of personal liability guarantees in leases, pausing commercial rent taxes, providing landlords with needed support, and infusing small businesses with enough cash to weather the storm," Rigie said in a statement.
The survey results can be read here.
This article originally appeared on the New York City Patch
