Restaurant Industry Covid-19 Responses Seeing Newly-Built Spaces

Restaurants across the country are continuing to physically readapt their properties in order to meet the requirements of a pandemic clientele.

According to industry sources this has especially meant the building of drive-up features, as well as the installation of walls and partitions, which can often be altered, in cities and states where indoor dining is still allowed.

The industry has also seen an unprecedented degree of outdoor space construction in smaller built spaces, often requiring both cooling and heating features.

Those heating sources are either comprised of propane or natural gas.

Many locations have seen the construction of barn-like structures, now commonly called “streeteries,” that include lighting, floors, and window spaces. Other popular options include the building of igloo domes and pole tents.

According to the website Curbed, the construction price tag for such buildings, often made of plywood, ranges between $5,000 and $25,000.

But if the new structure requires a property insurance policy alternation, the new structures could eventually cost as much as $50,000.

Industry say the new structures have to, of course, pass local and county safety laws, and may be subject to changing lockdown health rules.

Restaurants have been facing generally dire economic times in recent months, so much so that the National Restaurant Association last week sent a message to Congress asking for emergency relief.

The group is promoting what it calls a Blueprint for Restaurant Revival, asking for the creation of a special fund designed to help the nation’s restaurants get the liquidity they need to survive.

The group is also asking for a long-term loan program allowing restaurants to maintain payrolls while taking care of basic operating costs.

“More than 500,000 restaurants of every business type—franchise, chain, and independent—are in an unprecedented economic decline,” Sean Kennedy, the group’s vice-president for public affairs, wrote, “and for every day that passes without a solution from Congress, thousands more restaurants across the country will close their doors for good.”
​
Statistics released by the association indicate that some 17% of the nation’s restaurants, equaling in excess of 110,000 businesses, have closed their doors since last spring.

​By Garry Boulard

---