Ohio Restaurant Association Hopes New Plan Will Help Industry Survive Pandemic, Support Economy

A restaurant group has come out with a plan that it hopes will help its industry and the state's economy.

The National Restaurant Association's Blueprint for Restaurant Revival covers what the national association, as well as the , believe is needed now and in the long-term in the form of federal support. John Barker, President and CEO of the ORA, said its plan will help restaurants survive, keep people in Ohio employed, and bolster the state’s economy.  

“What we try to do is address issues as it relates to the overall industry ranging really from the owners that are running the businesses and having all the challenges right now as well as to the workers who are under tremendous pressure,” Barker said.

He said, among other things, the ORA is asking for an extension of the Paycheck Protection Program. He said there is no backup plan and that restaurants are going to run out of money soon.

According to the association, the state has some 23,000 restaurants that employ 585,000 people.

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