<p>The COVID-19 lockdowns have crippled the restaurant industry to such a degree that Waffle House CEO Walt Ehmer is sounding the alarm.</p>
<p>Speaking with Stuart Varney on <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/waffle-house-ceo-slams-coronavirus-lockdowns-restaurant-industry">Fox Business</a>, Ehmer lamented that the lockdowns are taking away people&#8217;s livelihoods, threatening to create a dark Christmas.</p>
<p>“Our people have been decimated by these <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/here-are-your-state-by-state-restrictions" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">restrictions</a>,” Ehmer said. “And when you look at the states where people are not allowed to work, we’re taking away people’s livelihood, we’re taking away their hope for a future, especially this time of the year, people can’t consider buying their kids Christmas presents.”</p>
<p>“It’s devastating to the people and the people can’t wait until spring,” he added.</p>
<p>As Thanksgiving approached, state and local governments throughout the country began issuing new lockdown restrictions, specifically targetting the restaurant industry through bans on indoor dining.</p>
<p>“Our folks, other people in the restaurant industry and other industries, they just want to work,” Ehmer said. “They want to work safely.”</p>
<p>“We’ve proven we can work safely and we want government leaders to pay attention to the fact that not every one of these situations is the same and a one-size-fits-all solution doesn’t work,” he added.</p>
<p>Ehmer argued that his restaurants have been particularly sensitive to COVID concerns by not being open 24 hours a day and voluntarily shutting down &#8220;dining rooms at night because we recognize in some circumstances the alcohol does play a role in terms of people socializing a little too much and crowds gathering.”</p>
<p>Prior to Thanksgiving, Los Angeles County announced that it would be shutting down all in-person dining at restaurants, bars, breweries, and wineries for at least another three weeks.</p>
<p>“The county had previously warned that if the five-day average number of cases reached 4,000 or more, or if hospitalizations surpassed 1,750 per day, all outdoor and indoor dining would be prohibited,” <a href="https://laist.com/2020/11/23/coronavirus-restaurant-service-ban-supervisor-kathryn-barger.php?fbclid=IwAR237eqQ6LITXVOBNPinOJ7m4_E77046w9-VzZsJkUtClhdyd6THZ2Dfv7k">reported </a>LAist</p>
<p>Karen Ross, co-owner of The Tallyrand in Burbank, said the three-week ban (which may indeed last longer) will devastate her business.</p>
<p>“It’s debilitating to us. Our hours will be reduced. We will offer only takeout, which will take us from doing about 65% of our usual pre-COVID sales back to 30%. It’s awful, any way you look at it,” Ross said.</p>
<p>“I am just completely exasperated by it because I really don’t believe, as do many other restaurant owners that I’ve talked to, that outdoor dining… we’re the source of that. It’s debilitating. I’ve got a crew of probably 24 people that I’ve got to let go or they’d have to take a furlough… I hope it’s only three weeks,” she added.</p>
<p>In March, the National Restaurant Association <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/national-restaurant-association-11-of-restaurants-could-be-lost-in-pandemic">predicted that 11%</a> of restaurants could be closing permanently. Hudson Riehle, the Association’s senior vice president of research, said the data shows the industry is in “uncharted territory.”</p>
<p>“Association research found that 54% of operators made the switch to all off-premises services; 44% have had to temporarily close down. This is uncharted territory,” said Riehle. “The industry has never experienced anything like this before.”</p>

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Waffle House CEO Rips COVID-19 Lockdowns: ‘Decimated’ The Restaurant Industry

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Waffle House CEO Rips COVID-19 Lockdowns: ‘Decimated’ The Restaurant Industry