Coronavirus News

Survey reveals how much havoc COVID-19 is wreaking on Texas restaurants

Rustic San Antonio happy hour beer patio

This was back when patios were full and sales were up.

The Rustic

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has increased the indoor occupancy capacity for restaurants up to 75 percent, effective September 21, and maybe in the nick of time.

A COVID-19 Restaurant Impact Survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association conducted in late August has data on the serious declines in sales and business in July and August 2020.

To sum it up, costs were up, sales were down, and optimism way, way down.

Nationally, 100,000 restaurants have closed in the last six months during the pandemic. That's one in six restaurants.

According toNRN, about 3 million restaurant workers are still out of work and the industry is on track to lose $240 billion in sales by the end of 2020.

Yelp has its own figures: 53 percent of the restaurants that were marked closed on their site between March 1-July 1 are permanent. Texas came in second on the list of states with the most closures, and DFW came in fourth on the list of geographic areas, with 1,900 permanent closures and 1,300 temporary closures.

But hey, we'll always have Chick Fil-A.

Sales
Sales in Texas were down compared to 2019, duh. From July 2020 to August 2020, sales were up for some and down for others.

Compared to August 2019, sales were down by 33 percent in August 2020.
Sales from August 2020 went down from July 2020 for 28 percent of Texas operators.
Sales from August 2020 went up from July 2020 for 21 percent of Texas operators.

Even though sales were lower, the cost of doing business was not. Three fourths of those surveyed say their operational costs are higher than they were before the virus.

Off-premise vs on
This one is also no surprise: With on-premises dining capacity limited, off-premises is increasingly important for restaurants. For 77 percent of operators in Texas, off-premises sales currently represents a higher proportion of their total business than it did prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Predictions
The majority of Texas restaurateurs are not optimistic about the future.

75 percent say they don't expect sales to return to pre-coronavirus levels within the next six months.
46 percent think it is unlikely their restaurant will still be in business six months from now, if business conditions continue at current levels.
50 percent say it is unlikely their restaurant will still be in business six months from now, if there are no additional relief packages from the federal government.

The job market
Many restaurants in Texas have rehired employees but the survey shows that staffing levels remain below normal, at about 71 percent of what it used to be.

42 percent hired employees in July and August.
19 percent laid off or furloughed employees in July and August.
38 percent plan to add more employees during the next 30 days.
17 percent anticipate laying off or furloughing more employees during the next 30 days.

The National Restaurant Association surveyed 3,500 restaurant operators between August 26 and September 1.

closings

Coffee News

New Dallas coffee shop opens with good coffee — and great hair

Common Good

Common Good coffee and good vibes

A new coffee shop with some serious styling has opened near downtown Dallas: Called Common Good, it's located at 1619 N. Hall St., right off Ross Avenue, in what was previously a retail outlet for Rakkasan Tea Company, who left the space in mid-2024.

Common Good is more than just a coffee shop – it's a coffee shop-hair salon from Christopher Bermudez, a stylist who previously owned Ellum Salon in Deep Ellum which he sold in 2022. Their motto: "Good coffee, good hair, good vibes."

Bermudez was born in Mexico City and moved to Dallas when he was one year old but remained close to his culture and often travels to Mexico City, where he found the inspiration behind this new concept.

"I was inspired by the multiuse spaces in my hometown of Mexico City: coffee shops that turn into a nightclub or tequila tasting rooms in the evening. Great vibe is what we are going for," he says.

The coffee shop is in the front, while the hair salon is in the back, divided by a large glass. The salon has eight stylists, including Bermudez.

The shop also features all-vinyl jam tables where guest DJs play music most weekends, creating a cool atmosphere. The décor resembles listening rooms that are popular in South Korea, with custom-made wooden walls and modern furniture.

Good vibes at Common Good Coffee and hair salonCommon Good

Heading the coffee operation is Jesse Nava, who recently worked at Xaman Coffee in Oak Cliff, and they're partnered with Lemma Coffee for beans and barista training. The shop offers a small but solid menu, with espresso and coffee classics, plus some specialty drinks including pistachio matcha, cardamon rose latte, espresso freddo, and a Mexican mocha.

“We want to stay consistent with a small menu — we want to get it right, then eventually add to it," Bermudez says.

They plan to add food, as well, working with a local bakery still to be decided for muffins, croissants, kolaches, cookies, and bagels.

They're open Tuesday-Saturday from 7 am-7 pm, with shorter hours Sunday and Monday, from 7 am-2 pm, since the salon portion is closed those days.

They've witnessed a big demand for coffee, since the center they're in had coffee history: The storefront on the corner at 1623 Hall St. was once Method Coffee, then Fiction Coffee, which closed at the end of 2023. (It's now home to Black Swan Saloon, the resuscitated bar from acclaimed mixologist Gabe Sanchez.)

They see themselves as a neighborhood coffee shop, where residents of the multiple apartment complexes around can become regulars. They are dog-friendly, serving pup cups.

"I always believed that if you have a good product people will come," Bermudez says.

coffee openings