coronavirus

Trump to America’s Restaurants: You’re Screwed

Trump says restaurant will be back … sort of. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

During a press conference Thursday, President Donald Trump finally took time to address the crisis facing the restaurant industry. Of restaurants, Trump says “they’ll all be back,” even if by “they” he means different businesses with different owners. He would know, he explained, because “I understand the restaurant business,” which he calls “a very tough business” where you can lose a customer with “one bad meal.”

Independent operators have been begging for help, forming groups like the Independent Restaurant Coalition to advocate and lobby on the behalf of the industry. Trump essentially dismissed their concerns at a time when many in the industry are saying the coronavirus relief bill just isn’t enough for independent restaurateurs. One aspect of the bill, the Keeping Workers Paid and Employed Act, was specifically intended to help small business, but last-minute changes opened the funding up to franchisees from big businesses that will now be able to take reportedly half of the funding. The IRC, ROAR NY, and New York Hospitality Coalition have started a social media campaign, #sizematters, to drum up opposition to this. Others have argued that this crisis is an opportunity to change the restaurant industry for the better. In an op-ed for the New York Times, Amanda Cohen argues, “This shutdown has shown us that the only moral choice is for the industry to provide a better safety net for our workers.”

Trump to America’s Restaurants: You’re Screwed