-
FILE – In this June 18, 2020, file photo, a man wears a face mask while cleaning an outdoor dining table at Pier 39 where some stores, restaurants and attractions have reopened during the coronavirus outbreak in San Francisco.
less
FILE – In this June 18, 2020, file photo, a man wears a face mask while cleaning an outdoor dining table at Pier 39 where some stores, restaurants and attractions have reopened during the coronavirus outbreak
… more
Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press
FILE – In this June 18, 2020, file photo, a man wears a face mask while cleaning an outdoor dining table at Pier 39 where some stores, restaurants and attractions have reopened during the coronavirus outbreak in San Francisco.
less
FILE – In this June 18, 2020, file photo, a man wears a face mask while cleaning an outdoor dining table at Pier 39 where some stores, restaurants and attractions have reopened during the coronavirus outbreak
… more
Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press
It’s not news that most restaurants aren’t doing well right now, but so far, it’s been difficult to quantify their struggle. San Francisco’s Chamber of Commerce, however, says they’ve found a way to check up on how the city’s food businesses are doing — and the numbers are pretty harrowing.
Jay Cheng, a spokesperson for the chamber of commerce, told Eater that they’ve been working with credit card companies to pull data on sales from San Francisco businesses. According to the data they’ve found, S.F. restaurant sales are down 84 percent year-over-year, comparing July 2019 to July 2020. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March, San Francisco restaurant sales have dropped by 91 percent.
This data, of course, doesn’t include cash sales, but as Eater noted, most businesses that were previously cash-only now accept credit cards due to fears of spreading the coronavirus.
RELATED: Venezuelan restaurant Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen to close after 10 years on Valencia Street
Cheng also recently told KPIX that 54 percent of storefront businesses in San Francisco have either temporarily or permanently closed during the pandemic (this data was also collected with the help of credit card companies). So as for that 91 percent decrease in sales for restaurants… a good chunk of that is probably coming from eateries that aren’t open at all right now.
Read the full Eater story here.
Madeline Wells is an SFGATE reporter. Email: [email protected] | Twitter: @madwells22
