NYC restaurant jobs still sharply down from pre-virus levels

October 2, 2020 Associated Press

Lenworth Thompson served lunch to David Zennario, left, and Alex Ecklin at Junior's Restaurant in Brooklyn. Photo: Mark Lennihan/AP File

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New York City’s restaurants are employing only slightly more than half the number of people they were before the coronavirus wreaked havoc in the industry, according to a report released Thursday by the state comptroller.

There were more than 315,000 people employed in the city restaurant sector in February, which dropped dramatically to 91,000 in April at the height of the virus surge and business restrictions, according to Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

As of August, that number had rebounded, but only up to 174,000, 55 percent of the pre-virus level.

The report found that as of the first week of September, 43 percent of restaurants and bars across the city had sought permits for outdoor dining. In Brooklyn, more than 40 percent of restaurants had received permits. In Queens, over 40 percent had gotten permits, and in Manhattan, 50 percent of establishments had received permits.

New York City allowed restaurants to begin indoor dining on Wednesday, restricting capacity to 25 percent. As of Wednesday, many Brooklyn restaurants were readying to make that change.