- Restaurants and bars in big cities are reducing hours and closing as remote work cuts in on weekday traffic, CNBC reported.
- The problem extends to smaller cities as well, like Baton Rouge.
As the battle rages on between remote workers and employers who want them back in-person, a new ally emerges in favor of return-to-office — restaurants.
Hybrid and remote work is costing big cities billions in lost revenue, and restaurants and bars are bearing much of the brunt. With fewer people in the office — particularly on Mondays and Fridays, often the busiest days of the week for dining out before the pandemic — eateries are missing out on much-needed revenue, CNBC reported.
A new study from WFH Research released last week found that major cities are losing between $2,000 and $5,000 for each employee working either hybrid or remotely.
New York City has the most to lose the most as workers stay remote, with a drop in spending of $4,661 per person, according to WFH.
"The bad news for these restaurant owners and so on is that I don't think we're going back to normal, and we're probably kind of very near to where the new normal is," WFH Research co-founder Jose Maria Barrero told CNBC.
Some bars and restaurants in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta are reducing hours or even closing their doors, according to CNBC.
The problem extends beyond the biggest cities in the US, plaguing once vibrant downtowns across the country.
"If people aren't coming to work downtown, they are not coming here to eat," Brian Minor, general manager of a restaurant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, told local TV station WAFB.
Restaurants in Baton Rouge are offering customers deals like $15 three-course, dine-in lunches, WAFB reported. But in many cases, the lack of foot traffic is still too big a burden for local restaurants.
"It will have pros and cons," Jake Polansky, Baton Rouge Area Chamber's economic and policy researcher, told WAFB. "This is something that downtown areas and cities all across the country are trying to figure out, what to do when a lot of their workers start working from home and don't commute in as often."