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PRLA Survey Reports Devastating Layoffs, 14% of Restaurants Plan to Defy Shutdown Orders & Millions of Dollars in Food Waste

PRLA SURVEY REPORTS DEVASTING LAYOFFS, 14% OF RESTAURANTS PLAN TO DEFY SHUTDOWN ORDERS & MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FOOD WASTE

Harrisburg, PA (December 14, 2020)—The Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association (PRLA) released data from an industry survey with 1,546 restaurant and foodservice businesses responding. The number of respondents represents 5.8 percent of the 26,500 restaurants, bars, and foodservice businesses across Pennsylvania. The results report 26,250 hospitality employees were laid off this weekend and that over $1,529,104 of food was either wasted or, in fewer cases donated, due to the short notice of the shutdown efforts. Since these results are based on just less than 6% of Pennsylvania’s restaurants, PRLA anticipates the true number of layoffs to be significantly higher. The survey not only illustrates the immediate and devasting impact of the Wolf Administration’s mitigation orders, effecitvely eliminating indoor dining and private events but also quantifies the willingness of many businesses to defy the orders. An alarming 14 percent of respondents reported they plan to defy orders and offer indoor dining to survive through the winter.

PRLA surveyed over the weekend of December 11 to 13, 2020, is reporting the human impact and financial ramifications of restaurants in 60 counties across the Commonwealth. The number of reported layoffs will undoubtedly increase over the next week as more restaurants face declining sales and revenues. These numbers are a direct result of the Wolf Administration’s refusal to heed the recommendations and expertise of PRLA. The reported backlash and willingness to defy orders are directly proportional to the level of vitriol, outrage, and frustration expressed by business owners who express they have no other choice but to go it on their own to offer indoor dining to continue to pay employees. The drastic response from law-abiding business owners demonstrates the immediate need for Governor Wolf's action to reopen indoor dining by returning to the Administration’s standards that were in place prior to the shutdown (25% capacity or 50% for those that self-certify) and demand Congress pass legislation for substantial financial relief.

“Our industry is on the brink of disaster. Restaurants are shuttering, storefronts are boarded up and laying off thousands just as federal unemployment benefits expire. This is the perfect storm of economic breakdown and government indifference to burden of businesses,” says John Longstreet, President and CEO of PRLA. “Governor Wolf can make a difference – restore indoor dining to 25 percent (or 50 percent with self-certification) and demand action from Congress. We are an industry that values safety, and there is no conclusive data showing that restaurants cannot operate safely when exercising CDC protocols.”

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About the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association
The PRLA strives to promote, protect, and improve the hospitality and tourism industries in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. PRLA conveys the unified voice of these industries to the Commonwealth’s citizenry and elected officials.

Media contact:

PRLA: Stephanie Otterson, (717) 963-8369 or [email protected]

Food Shelter PR: Lorraine Gimblett, (215) 254-6601 or [email protected]