Chinese restaurants shift from most-closed to fastest reopeners
Summary
Peter Romeo reported on May 26, 2020 that Chinese restaurants, which had the restaurant industry's highest closure rate at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, had become the group reopening at the fastest clip, according to transaction data from the credit-card processor Womply. At one point 60% of the Chinese restaurants in the United States had closed, and as of May 16 only 26% were completely closed, an open rate of roughly 74% that matched the restaurant industry as a whole. The article reports Womply's conclusion that Asian operators might have closed for fear of being stigmatized, and says other observers speculated that operators shut down rather than risk bringing the virus home to their families.
Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used
Cite this document
“Chinese restaurants shift from most-closed to fastest reopeners.”
Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/chinese-restaurants-shift-from-most-closed-to-fastest-reopeners-8e9dfc7373/
, SHA-256 e5aa7b797b57f7b0f22866c84135ff8e88ff89ba3db4796cc4c13900231f8cba.Full text
Edit - National Restaurant Association calls for timeout on NFL Sunday Ticket switch - The National Restaurant Association calls for a delay on a THC ban - The next phase of Panera Bread's transformation: Bowls, beverages, and a better customer experience - The original Starbucks location gets a facelift - Adrienne Cole infuses House of Marigold with culinary and entrepreneurial spirit Operations Chinese restaurants shift from most-closed to fastest reopeners A surge in restarts has 74% of the segment back in business. By Peter Romeo on May 26, 2020 Photograph: Shutterstock After clocking the restaurant industry’s highest closure rate at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, places specializing in Chinese food have swung back to become the group reopening at the fastest clip, a new study has found. At one point during the crisis, 60% of the Chinese restaurants in the United States had closed rather than try to stay afloat through takeout and delivery while dine-in service was prohibited, according to the source of the research, the credit-card processor Womply. Because many of those places already had a significant off-premise business, the firm concluded that Asian operators might have closed because of fears they’d be stigmatized and shunned. The COVID-19 virus originated in China, as President Trump and other high-profile figures repeatedly stressed, in part by referring to it as the Chinese coronavirus. The media carried stories about some Americans threatening Asian citizens in retribution and fear of being contaminated. Other observers speculated that many Chinese operators shut down rather than risk bringing the virus home to their families. They theorized that elderly parents and grandparents may have resided with the hands-on operators of family run businesses, as is routine in Asian society. Persons over age 65 have been identified as a high-risk group. In analyzing transactional data, Womply found that “ Chinese restaurants have been reopening faster than any other restaurant category.” As of May 16, only 26% of Chinese restaurants were completely closed. The open rate of roughly 74% matches the figure for the U.S. restaurant industry as a whole, the company concluded. “While they aren't out of the woods yet (1 in 4 are still closed), the gap between Chinese restaurants and their peers has been closed,” Womply concluded in a communication to Restaurant Business. “They are now closed at exactly the same rate as the national closure rate for restaurants (26%). Perhaps consumer xenophobia is subsiding?” Like pizzerias, Chinese restaurants routinely offered delivery long before the advent earlier this decade of third-party delivery services, which greatly broadened consumers’ options. Many of the national pizza chains and other operations specializing in delivery have been far less walloped by social distancing and the forced closing of restaurant dining rooms. Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here . coronavirus News Peter Romeo has covered the restaurant industry since 1984 for a variety of media. As Editor At Large for Restaurant Business, his current beats are government affairs, labor and family dining. He is also the publication's unofficial historian. View All Articles by This Author Want breaking news at your fingertips? Get today’s need-to-know restaurant industry intelligence. Sign up to receive texts from Restaurant Business on news and insights that matter to your brand. Newsletter The latest from Restaurant Business, sent straight to your inbox. Sign Up Multimedia Tom Berry's travels inspired the menus and concepts in COJE's portfolio Dimitri Zafeiropoulos promotes the diversity of Greek wines at Estiatorio Milos Chef Bryan O'Kelly reimagines Southern cuisine at Husk Nashville CEO Chris Simms favors 'approachable innovation' to steer the menu at Lazy Dog Restaurants Exclusive Content Premium Financing More tough data on restaurant sales The Bottom Line: This week’s edition of the weekly restaurant finance newsletter looks at more reports on weak fast-food traffic and consumer spending intentions. Premium Financing Another full-service Mexican brand shuts its doors The Bottom Line: The closure of On the Border is the latest in a long line of challenges with the sector, which has been hurt by years of competition from limited-service brands like Chipotle. Premium Financing Free from bankruptcy, Twin Peaks shifts back to growth mode The breastaurant chain has spent the past year under a cloud of financial problems and bankruptcy. But it now has new owners, backed by franchisees, and a plan to resume its growth. Trending Premium Financing More tough data on restaurant sales Premium Financing Another full-service Mexican brand shuts its doors Financing Jersey Mike's overtakes Chick-fil-A in one key area More from our partners How life changed for this fine-dining private chef after finding RATIONAL At Snowbird, chefs are elevating the art of cooking. Literally Real California Dairy Makes The Hottest Menu Trend Even Cooler Why Scratch-Made Quality Is Redefining Value in the Emerging Bagel Category How Enterprise Brands are Building a Digital Ordering Strategy that works on Every Channel
File and source
- File
- restaurant-business-chinese-restaurants-reopeners.html
- Size
- 120,623 bytes
- SHA-256
- e5aa7b797b57f7b0f22866c84135ff8e88ff89ba3db4796cc4c13900231f8cba
- Original
- No public link identified.