Survey: 60% of U.S. Restaurants Closed Because of Virus Won't Reopen

Sixty percent of restaurants in the United States that were closed during the coronavirus lockdowns will not reopen, according to a survey Yelp released on Monday.

“The restaurant industry now reflects the highest total business closures, recently surpassing retail,” Yelp, the online business directory featuring customer reviews, said of its survey.

According to the National Restaurant Association, there are one million restaurant locations in the United States. As of July 10, Yelp found 26,160 total restaurant closures, an increase of 2,179 since June 15.

“Emily Catalon runs GoodFoodPittsburgh.com and has been following opening and closing trends there,” CNN reported.

“It is on the brink of devastation, honestly,” she told affiliate KDKA.

“But the restaurant business is notoriously difficult in ordinary times, too — with high competition and low profit margins, said Caleb Spivak, whose What Now Media Group covers retail and restaurants via WhatNowAtlanta.com and WhatNowLosAngeles.com,” CNN reported.

“It’s still too early to say for some of them why they permanently closed,” Spivak told CNN. “A lot of these restaurants were already struggling.”

Follow Penny Starr on Twitter