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Many Michigan restaurant owners say they'll need help to keep their doors open

 43% of restaurant operators who did not receive grants from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund feel it’s unlikely they will stay in business beyond the pandemic.
Michael Browning
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Unsplash
43% of restaurant operators who did not receive grants from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund feel it’s unlikely they will stay in business beyond the pandemic.

A new survey finds many Michigan restaurants are struggling.

The survey is from the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association. It found 76% of restaurants report business conditions are worse now than three months ago.

Justin Winslow is the association's president. He says inflation and the latest coronavirus surge are taking their toll.

“It’s a combination of the two but the omicron really feels it’s like it’s what broke the back and cause what was an uneasy fall to really a crisis level for this industry just in the last few weeks,” says Winslow.

Winslow says Congress needs to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.

Otherwise, he says 43% of restaurant operators who did not receive grants from that fund feel it’s unlikely they will stay in business beyond the pandemic without a grant.

Copyright 2022 Michigan Radio. To see more, visit Michigan Radio.

Steve Carmody has been a reporter for Michigan Radio since 2005. Steve previously worked at public radio and television stations in Florida, Oklahoma and Kentucky, and also has extensive experience in commercial broadcasting. During his two and a half decades in broadcasting, Steve has won numerous awards, including accolades from the Associated Press and Radio and Television News Directors Association. Away from the broadcast booth, Steve is an avid reader and movie fanatic.