Unless you’re living under a rock. Things royally suck right now.
This is an especially challenging and disheartening time for the restaurant business all over the country. South Jersey restaurants are definitely getting hit hard even though they’re still offering take out and delivery. Many restaurants have decided to close altogether and wait it out until it’s safe. It’s heartbreaking to think that some of these restaurants may not be re-opening when it’s all over.
I reached out on Twitter to ask restaurants how they’re holding up during this difficult time. Not only to see how business is, but to see how they’re coping and to give them a little love.
Criollo’s Latin Cuisine in Millville, NJ
Scott Guzman of Criollo’s Latin Cuisine in Millville, NJ responded…
“Already had to lay off staff. Sales are down easy 40% if not more you can see it in the streets traffic is just dead. I heard a rumor Uber and Lyft might be canceled if it hasn’t already. And if that happens, we might lose Grubhub UberEats Doordash etc. Delivery has spiked slightly perhaps maybe just 15% however one would have thought delivery would have spiked a whole lot more.”
“If you think about it, we just got over the slowest time for restaurants which is the winter months and we look forward to the tax return season to create a boost in business and this is typically our black Friday season or holiday season, if you will, where most restaurants get out of red and put away for winter. I feel we just didn’t do enough to contain this early on and now it’s just too late…”
Are you a restaurant experiencing a significant loss of business and severe economic distress during this unprecedented time? Contact me so that I can feature you here. I don’t know how much it will help, but I just want to give you some love because my heart is going out to you and all of the service industry workers.
WASH YOUR HANDS! STAY THE HELL HOME! ORDER TAKE OUT OR DELIVERY!

Marilyn is a freelance writer covering the food and drink scene of South Jersey. You can find more of her writing on Philly Grub and NewsBreak.