Industry leaders say restaurants will lose billions if they don't reopen soon

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The reopening of the economy could be good news for the restaurant industry, which has suffered devastating losses.

Gov. Bill Lee announced that the state’s “Safer at Home” order will expire on April 30. However, Lee did not provide any specifics about which businesses would reopen first.

Many are hoping that restaurants are on the list to be among the first. The industry has already lost billions and leaders say things will get worse if they don't open soon.

The National Restaurant Association reported Monday night that sales nationwide are down 78% on average for the first 10 days of April. They say 88% of operators have had to lay-off or furlough some workers.

The association says 8 million restaurant workers have been laid off since March, and if they aren't allowed to reopen soon, the industry will lose $50 billion in sales by the end of this month.

Governor Lee says he knows how important this industry is to our state, which is why his Economic Recovery Group is working with industry leaders.

“We're working with restaurant association, those who represent the workers, to make sure that we put in place the measures and guidance and the guidelines for restaurants to open safely for their workers and their customers,” Lee said.

While the Governor says, many businesses can re-open soon, in Davidson County that decision is ultimately up to Mayor John Cooper.