Restaurateurs from across Connecticut joined Sen. Chris Murphy on Friday for a
roundtable discussion on all the challenges their businesses face amid the
pandemic.
Owners say federal Paycheck
Protection Program (PPP) loans were a big help at the start of the pandemic –
but that money dried up months ago.
They say they are losing
money with restaurants back down to 50% capacity and cold weather about to
seriously restrict outdoor dining.
Sen. Murphy and the
roundtable participants agreed – restaurants will close if the government
doesn't step in.
"After listening to you
today, I'm more sure than ever that we've got to turn up the heat on our
colleagues in Washington to pass additional business assistance and additional
individual assistance," he said.
The state recently offered
qualifying small businesses $5,000. They say those payouts are expected
to come sometime in the next month.