I am a chef.  I work in an independent restaurant.  Today I laid off 90 employees.  Tomorrow or next week, it might happen to me.  I am not alone.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has decimated the hospitality industry.  Restaurants and bars are the front line of defense against the spread of infection and have been the first businesses ordered to close by many local governments state and countrywide.  

Many of these businesses are small, family owned operations and cannot sustain these lengthy, government mandated closures.  These small businesses do not have the capital reserves, large corporate tax breaks, or infrastructure to withstand long term closures in the same way large corporations do.  At the same time, these businesses employ millions of hardworking Americans across the nation.  

The economic fall-out to the small business hospitality industry will devastate millions of American workers and families (the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are 5.4 million workers in the restaurant industry - https://www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/mobile/food-and-beverage-serving-and-related-workers.htm)

These small businesses need a bailout!

By signing this petition you are asking state and federal authorities to WRITE INTO LAW FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY.  This industry needs real economic support on par with the financial, banking, airline, and other sectors that have traditionally received aid during times of financial crisis.