Report: Recovery for restaurants and bars slower in Wisconsin

A new report from Wisconsin Business Policy Forum found that economic recovery from COVID-19 for restaurants and bars in Wisconsin is strong but slower than nationally. The number of people employed at restaurants and bars in Wisconsin has recovered dramatically since the sector lost nearly 50% in April 2020. According to preliminary federal data, however, employment in the “food services and drinking places” subsector was still down by nearly 20,000 (8.8%) in August 2021 compared to the same month in 2019. Job recovery in this subsector has been weaker in Wisconsin than nationally, where employment was down only 6.1% in August 2021 relative to August 2019. Primary data sources for the study were the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the state Departments of Revenue and Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection. The report also considered state and federal support for restaurants and bars in Wisconsin, including temporary grant programs.