Statewide Iowa — The CEO of the Iowa Restaurant Association says updated information suggests fewer restaurants and bars in Iowa have closed during the pandemic than was expected.
Jessica Dunker says initial estimates indicated about a thousand restaurants and bars in Iowa that were operating in March of 2020 would close.
Dunker says restaurants and bars fared better here than in other states for a combination of reasons, including state grants along with federal Paycheck Protection Program grants. Iowa restaurants and bars were also allowed to reopen for in-person service sooner than in other states.
Dunker says part of the workforce problem is that 20 years ago, just over a third of high-school students had a part-time job, whereas today it’s about 20 percent.
Dunker says another factor is that many of the employees who were laid off a year ago when Iowa restaurants and bars were shutdown because of the pandemic are not returning.
Dunker made her comments during a recent appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa PBS.
