The leader of a membership-based organization that advocates for Georgia restaurant owners says she believes that roughly 4,000 restaurant members have closed their businesses due to the ongoing health crisis.
“We believe, at this point, that we have about 14,000 out of 19,000 restaurants still operating here in Georgia,” said Karen Bremer, who serves as the president and CEO of the Georgia Restaurant Association (GRA).
Bremer was a guest on Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look.”
She told show host Rose Scott that pre-pandemic, the restaurant industry was on track to generate $25 billion in revenue and held the position as the second-largest private-sector employer in The Peach State — but things quickly took an unexpected turn.
“On March 17, 2020, we laid off about 300,000 workers. Thankfully, many of them are back to work now, even though we still have a labor issue,” the hospitality giant and former restaurant owner said.
