Suozzi and His Ways and Means Colleague from Oregon, Blumenauer, Host Zoom Town Hall for Hard Hit NY Restaurants and Catering Halls

Press Release

Today, Congressman Tom Suozzi (NY-03) and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) hosted a Zoom Town Hall for hard-hit restaurants and catering halls across New York and Long Island to discuss congressional efforts to help these industries and their workers recover from the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Rep. Blumenauer is the lead sponsor of the RESTAURANTS Act of 2020, legislation which calls for a $120 billion restaurant stabilization grant program designed to help independent restaurants deal with the long-term structural challenges facing the industry due to COVID-19 and ensure they can reemploy 11 million workers. In addition to Suozzi, an original cosponsor, other panelists included: Mickey King, President of Antun's of Queens Village and Director of the New York Restaurants Association; Tony Scotto, Owner, Scotto Brothers; and Kristen Jarnagin President/CEO, Discover Long Island.

"Restaurants and catering halls, a critical component of our economy, have been some of the hardest-hit businesses by the pandemic. The Paycheck Protection Program was insufficient to address the needs of many restaurants who still have not come close to their pre-pandemic business." said Suozzi. "I want to thank Rep. Blumenauer for joining me on our call today and am proud to support his bipartisan legislation which would help put more than 11 million people back to work."

"It's hard to imagine our communities without independent restaurants, but without federal assistance, many of these beloved corner coffee shops, diners and cafes may not be able to reopen their doors," said Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). "I'm grateful for Rep. Suozzi's leadership on our bill, which will ensure that these local restaurants -- and their workers -- get the support they need to get through this unprecedented health crisis."

"The restaurant and catering sectors together are the second largest employer in the country and one of the hardest-hit by this pandemic. If we don't get help to this industry, the future is extremely bleak. Our only hope of survival is through assistance from the federal government and I thank both Congressman Suozzi and Congressman Blumenauer as their efforts are essential to getting this passed," Mickey King, President of Antun's of Queens Village and Director of the New York Restaurants Association.

"Catering, specifically weddings, on Long Island is a major industry and our catering houses have been completely shut down. Here on Long Island, it is not just catering. You have to take into consideration the trickle-down impact on vendors including florists, photographers, musicians, limousine services, bridal shops, tuxedo rentals, hair salons, hotels, and others. It has been disastrous to so many and I thank the Congressmen for their efforts in understanding the magnitude of this situation," Tony Scotto, Owner, Scotto Brothers.

"The $6.1 billion tourism industry on Long Island that supports more than 100,000 local jobs has suffered the brunt of losses and hardships resulting from COVID-19 shutdowns and economic impacts," said Discover Long Island President & CEO, Kristen Jarnagin. "We are grateful to Congressman Suozzi and the 123 co-sponsors signed on to Congressman Blumenauer's critical legislation that supports independent restaurants and catering halls, as well the countless vendors that rely on those outlets, who are the family-owned, small businesses that make up the fabric of our communities and our region."

Restaurant and catering hall owners from across Long Island had the opportunity to ask questions during a Q&A session and share their concerns.

There are approximately 500,000 independent restaurants in the United States, which account for approximately 76% of the 658,000 total restaurants and bars in the United States. According to a recent study, about 5.9 million restaurant jobs (an estimated 4.5 million of which are from independent restaurants) have vanished within a matter of weeks-- the most of any industry and nearly double the figure from the next most affected industry.

In addition, the study found that 85% of independent restaurants are likely to close by the end of the year if direct aid like the stabilization fund is not provided to the industry. Independent restaurants are more at risk of permanently going out of business due to the pandemic because consumer spending at these establishments has been disproportionately affected and they lack the same access to capital markets. In whole, the Stabilization Fund will generate at least $183 billion in primary benefits and $65 billion in secondary benefits--more than double the amount of the proposed grants.

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