The Michigan hospitality industry has suffered greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research conducted by the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association.
Nearly one-third of Michigan's approximately 5,600 restaurant operators believe they likely will be out of business within the next six months, according to research data. Two-thirds of the state's approximately 850 hotels reported they can remain open for only six months more at the current revenue rate without additional relief.
"It is fundamentally clear that the pandemic is decimating the hospitality industry in this state to a degree never seen or even imagined," MRLA President and CEO Justin Winslow said in a statement.
The MRLA research found 48% of Michigan's restaurant operators said they were considering temporarily closing their businesses until the pandemic is over.
As for Michigan's hotels, 52% of owners said they were in danger of foreclosure and 63 percent said they were employing less than half of their usual full-time staff.
Winslow has urged Michigan politicians to pass stimulus to aid the hospitality industry. The state's restaurants were forced to stop indoor dining in mid-November and there is no telling when it can resume.
"As the legislative calendar draws to a close, there are several thousand operators and a few hundred thousand employees in Michigan urgently hoping that the holiday spirit consumes our elected leaders in Washington D.C. and Lansing to pass a meaningful stimulus package for those most in need this holiday season," Winslow said in the Dec. 7 statement.
The restaurant research data, collected in conjunction with the National Restaurant Association from Nov. 16-30, included a total of 6,000 respondents nationally, including 175 from Michigan. Hotel data was collected nationally by the American Hotel and Lodging Association Nov. 10-13 with more than 1,200 respondents, including many from Michigan.
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