Half of all Queens restaurants may not survive coronavirus, says Chamber president

Queens Chamber of Commerce CEO Thomas Grech (right) and Mayor Bill de Blasio (left) celebrated the survival of Woodhaven bar Neir’s Tavern in January. The coronavirus shutdown may permanently close half of Queens’ restaurants, Grech said Wednesday. Eagle file photo by David Brand

By Victoria Merlino

Half of the roughly 6,000 restaurants in Queens may not survive the coronavirus economic shutdown, said Queens Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Grech Wednesday.

Grech made the dire prediction during panel discussion on small businesses with the borough’s City Council delegation. Without intervention, favorite local spots will never re-open, he said.

“If we dither over semantics, we won’t have much of an economy left over,” Grech said.

Queens’ small businesses have been hit especially hard by the pandemic. 

Retail stores or restaurants — two of the industries most affected by the coronavirus — account for  nearly 19 percent of the borough’s jobs, according to a report from the Center for an Urban Future. 

Almost 4 percent of jobs in the borough are related to airports and the airline industry, according to the CUF report.

The Queens Chamber panel allowed small business owners to hear directly from most of Queens’ 15 councilmembers. Some members said they were working on strategies to help businesses when it is safe for them to re-open.

Western Queens Councilmember Robert Holden denounced large corporations that received federal funding meant for small businesses earlier in April. 

Southeast Queens Councilmember Donovan Richards said he was troubled by the number of new “For Rent” signs he has seen in storefronts in his district. He said Queens deserves its fair share of relief.

“We need to make sure that that programming isn’t so Manhattan-centric,”  he said. “Queens needs to win here.”