CT’s economic recovery is going to be slow, but the question looms: How slow? According to the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis at UConn, it could take a decade or more to undo the pandemic’s economic damage. Every sector of the economy is hurting, but damage to the restaurant industry might be the longest-lasting. The leisure and hospitality industry account for the largest number of those laid off this year, and thousands remain unemployed or underemployed as restaurants struggle to figure out how to serve a skittish customer base.
A recent move by the state to open up to 75% indoor capacity doesn’t mean much to small restaurants that don’t have enough room to socially distance, and the outdoor dining boom that we saw this summer is facing the reality that winter is coming.
On this episode of “Steady Habits,” John is joined by Leeanne Griffin of the Hartford Courant, and chef Tyler Anderson, to explore how state restaurants have stayed alive, and how they are planning for an uncertain future.