About 20 Percent Of MA Restaurants Have Closed Due To Pandemic

The latest numbers from the Massachusetts Restaurant Association paint a grim picture of the future of the restaurant industry in the state. MRA CEO Bob Luz told the Boston Herald that about 3,600 restaurants – a fifth of the state's eateries – have permanently closed this year.

And it could get worse: outdoor dining has allowed some restaurants to weather the storm, but that could change once the weather gets cold. Current state regulations only allow outdoor dining through the end of November.

Restaurants are allowed to offer limited indoor seating with tables spaced six feet apart, but bars and music venues cannot reopen until there is a coronavirus vaccine or widely available treatment.

The industry as a whole has seen an onslaught of closures in recent weeks, including The Pour House, The Fours and McGreevy's in Boston, Bull McCabe's and Thunder Road in Somerville and The Friendly Toast in Cambridge. Luz told the Herald that Boston has been hit especially hard, as people are not coming into the city from the suburbs.

Gov. Charlie Baker said last week it's been "heartbreaking" to see the restaurants and bars go out of business due to the coronavirus.

"It stinks. It stinks. A lot of this stinks," Baker said of the closures. "But it's part of what comes with COVID."