Layoffs Sweep Midtown Businesses Ahead Of Holidays

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Hundreds of workers at Midtown businesses lost their jobs in a spate of layoffs this month, as the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the city's economy despite the arrival of a vaccine.

Since the start of December, Midtown businesses have announced layoffs affecting well over 1,200 employees, according to public notices filed with the state.

As they have in much of the country, the recent layoffs have disproportionately affected workers in the restaurant and hospitality industries.

At Le Bernardin, the Michelin-starred seafood destination on West 51st Street, 76 employees at the restaurant and its adjoining wine bar were laid off Monday "due to the full re-closure of all indoor dining," its management wrote.

One block east, 148 employees at the 21 Club lost their jobs Dec. 9 after the iconic restaurant closed indefinitely. Workers held a rally outside the club on Wednesday, vowing to return at some point.

The largest closure by far was the Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square, where 852 employees who were temporarily furloughed in the spring will be permanently laid off on March 12, 2021.

The state notices only include businesses with at least 50 employees, meaning untold more employees of small business may have also lost their jobs in recent weeks.

The large Midtown businesses that have announced layoffs this month include:

• Marriott Marquis (1535 Broadway): 852 employees whose temporary layoffs began March 21 will be permanently laid off March 12, 2021.
• 21 Club (21 West 52nd St.): 148 employees will be laid off March 9, 2021 after the restaurant closed indefinitely on Dec. 9.
• Le Bernardin & Aldo Sohm Wine Bar (151-155 West 51st St.): 76 employees were laid off on Monday.
• Restaurant Associates (611 Fifth Ave.): 60 employees furloughed in March will be permanently laid off on Friday.
• Porter House New York (10 Columbus Circle): 54 employees laid off over two weeks starting Dec. 11, due to the restaurant's temporary closure.
• Backal Hospitality Group event space (469 7th Ave.): 24 employees furloughed in March were laid off on Friday.
• Inside Park At St. Bart's (109 East 50th St.): 21 employees furloughed in March will be permanently laid off on Friday.

After Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the indoor dining closure was last week, Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, said the move would "severely jeopardize the survival of countless small businesses and jobs."

Rigie called on the U.S. Senate to pass the RESTAURANTS Act, a bill with bipartisan support that passed the House in October and would provide more than $100 billion in grants to independent restaurants, small chains and catering companies.