The president of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association says it’s been brutal for restaurants in Wisconsin during the more than month-long shutdown during the coronavirus pandemic. “Over 136,000 restaurant employees in this state alone have been laid off or furloughed,” Association president Kristine Hillmer told WFDL news. “…nationwide it’s two out of every three restaurant employees lost their jobs. To put that into perspective, the restaurant industry as a whole is the second largest employer in the nation.” Hillmer says many restaurants are not accepting federal government loans through the federal stimulus package. “The PPP loan as it’s designed is not really useable for most restaurants,” Hillmer said. “In order to get it forgiven, 75 percent has to be geared toward staff expenses. A lot of restaurants can’t be open. You have to use it within the eight weeks and you have to have the same number of people and it’s just not sustainable.” Hillmer says the Restaurant Association has also developed a new program called the Wisconsin Restaurant Promise designed to instill consumer confidence when restaurants do reopen. “It’s a poster you can put on your door, and it’s practices you can do beforehand because restaurants need to promise to their consumers that it’s safe to eat.” On the flip side, Hillmer is asking customers to do their part by staying away if they are sick or have been exposed to the virus.
