Restaurant expert says coronavirus will continue to wear down Philly food scene

Related

Coronavirus Mystery
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Some prominent Philadelphia restaurants decided this week to shut down for good, casualties of the coronavirus pandemic. An industry expert has a sobering prognosis for the city’s nationally acclaimed food scene.

Ben Fileccia, with the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, says he expects the economic impact of COVID-19 to hit the hospitality industry even harder than initially projected.

"Two months ago I had said 30% of restaurants wouldn't reopen after this pandemic, and at the time I was considered a pessimist,” he said. “Now that 30% projection is (making me) an optimist.”

Back in March, he said, the economic lockdown looked like a two-month crisis. 

In the last week, Farmicia in Old City, Mad River in Manayunk and Saté Kampar in South Philadelphia all closed. Fileccia says he fears it’s just the beginning.

After all, he points out even without customers, rent and other bills still need to get paid.

"And that's what you're seeing right now,” he said, ”when people are deciding that it might just be better to shutter the doors permanently than to get further in the hole than they already are."

Meanwhile, he says, he's seen restaurants show some real ingenuity, “pivoting and changing what they're doing and creating really interesting packages."

And while the ability to continue take-out and delivery service has been helpful, he said, "It's a bunch of these band-aids that are trying to cover up a big wound."

Fileccia says the restaurant scene in Philadelphia and elsewhere will at some point require additional targeted assistance from the federal government.

"This is such a huge industry. We need the help."