Restaurants in Texas have seen an increase in customers as more people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and hospitalizations have dropped, but many owners are now worried the Omicron variant may hurt sales over the holidays.
According to the Texas Restaurant Association, 91% of restaurants reported a drop in dine-in sales when the Delta variant started spreading.
"We've obviously got a much higher percentage of people vaccinated than we did even in September with the peak of Delta," says Chief Executive Emily Williams Knight. "People are fatigued. They want to get out, they want to have a good time."
But the organization says 96% of restaurants are paying more for food, 91% reported higher labor costs and 64% are paying more for rent. Williams Knight says many restaurants could not afford another drop in sales in addition to increased costs.
"The real question on their mind is how long will this last and will the consumer continue to support them through this next iteration and next variant?" Williams Knight says.
She says these questions come as small businesses should be celebrating a busy holiday season when more families go out to eat and more restaurants host parties.
"There should be joy and celebrations inside their restaurants," Williams Knight says. "We certainly have restaurants across Texas that are doing incredibly well, but we also have those that are suffering."
According to the Department of State Health Services, hospitals had 3,304 COVID patients Tuesday, an increase of 686 over the past month. The agency says 60.6% of Texans five and older are now fully vaccinated.
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