The couple took an innovative approach to weather the Covid-19 pandemic and help keep their employees afloat. At the start of the lockdowns, they took a risk with to-go margaritas (all helped by their sign that said, “Now would be a good time to legalize margarita delivery”) which was very successful and resonated with a lot of the locals.
According to the National Restaurant Association in the US, the pandemic erased 3.1 million jobs by the end of 2020 from what the numbers were expected to be. Over 110k American eating and drinking establishments closed their doors in 2020 (whether permanently or temporarily). Overall, the restaurant and foodservice industry sales fell by a whopping 240 billion dollars last year.
We can’t be certain of the full effects that the pandemic has had on the restaurant industry until much, much later, as the global crisis still hasn’t been wrangled and the stats are still pouring in. However, from what we know, it was hard going for a long while.
In short, it’ll take a while to see how much the situation has changed for restaurants (hopefully, for the better) with the rollout of Covid vaccines and mass vaccination programs in the US and abroad. One thing’s for sure, though: putting up funny and creative signs like El Arroyo can’t hurt your chances of flourishing as a business.
