Insider Q&A: Leader for independent restaurants hit by virus

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amanda Cohen is a leader of the Independent Restaurant Coalition, a new lobbying group of chefs and restaurants that was formed in response to the viral pandemic. Professionally, Cohen is the chef and owner of Dirt Candy, a fine-dining vegetarian restaurant in New York City.

The Associated Press spoke recently with Cohen about the coalition, whose leadership includes many other prominent chefs, including Jose Andres, Marcus Samuelsson and Thomas Keller.

Q. Restaurants and their employees suffered an especially heavy economic blow in the pandemic from the enforced lockdowns. How heavily has the burden fallen on independent restaurants and minorities?

A. Restaurants are gathering places, and right now we can’t gather. State and local governments are reducing our seating capacity, but no one has done anything to reduce our fixed costs like rent and utilities. So we’re going into debt. Unlike larger companies, we don’t have access to new capital. One in four unemployed during the pandemic worked in food and beverage services — more than in any other industry — and over half these people are minorities.

Q. How do you define independent restaurants? How many are expected to survive the pandemic?

A. Independent restaurants aren’t publicly traded companies, and they have 20 or fewer locations. We have some big operators, but the majority are small owner-operated restaurants. And 85% of us are not confident we can reopen.

Q. How was the restaurant coalition formed?

A. Independent chefs never had a trade group. We never lobbied — that’s always been something for the big franchises. The pandemic kicked our legs out from under us, and we started organizing. The more we talked, the more we realized that if we worked together we had a big voice....