Pandemic An 'apocalypse' For Restaurants In US

Los Angeles, Aug 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Aug, 2020 ) :For Gabriel Gordon and his wife Lena, the small restaurant they opened 14 years ago in the coastal California town of Seal Beach was a dream project and the cornerstone of their future success.

But this weekend, Beachwood BBQ, which had become a staple in the community, permanently shut down -- yet another casualty of the carnage the coronavirus pandemic has unleashed on restaurants across the United States.

"This restaurant launched everything for us and allowed us to have a nice life," said Gordon, 43, who is now concentrating his efforts on another restaurant and three breweries he owns. "This is what allowed us to have a nice life and it's heartbreaking to see it close.

" According to the National Restaurant Association, the restaurant industry -- the second largest private sector employer in the US -- is among the hardest hit by the pandemic, with losses projected to reach a staggering $240 billion by the end of the year.

"It's such an apocalyptic time for this industry," Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of public affairs for the association, told AFP. "We were the first industry to shut down and we will be the last to recover from this pandemic.

"That's because we won't be in place until the airlines are fixed, until the hotels are fixed and until tourism is back."