BOISE, Idaho — Since the pandemic began, 110,000 restaurants in the United States have closed, according to the National Restaurants Association. While there is some additional stimulus help now on the way, it's not enough or too late for some businesses.
“It just feels like we're in such a need right now of support,” said executive director of the Downtown Boise Association, Jennifer Hensley.
DBA is not formally tracking the number of downtown businesses that have closed their doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but unofficially they know of about 12.
“And about another dozen that are in some form of a temporary closure right now and what I mean by that is they either have closed their doors or they're full pick up and takeout or they've closed with plans to reopen in a few months when the weather gets warmer,” Hensley said.
The first year or two of a new business is always tough, regardless of a pandemic and there are always closures, but Hensley believes they're seeing more this year than during a normal year.
“It's heartbreaking because so many of the folks that are in downtown are there for the community,” she said.
On Wednesday, after five years, El Gallo Giro's downtown Boise location will close its doors for good.
"With no bar scene, nobody really going out and the working population downtown being cut in half, with everyone working from home, there was just nobody out,” said Lucio Prado, president of El Gallo Giro Meridian.
While the restaurant's two other locations have been doing well, its downtown location was hit hard. While it hurts, he believes they'll be okay.
“We've been doing this for 25 years as a family," Prado said. "We're resilient and we believe in ourselves and what we're doing. If we keep betting on ourselves, we'll never lose."
There's a flip side to this pandemic, however; while some businesses are closing, DBA has seen even more open in downtown Boise.
“I know there are probably two to three dozen businesses that are opening soon or have opened during this [pandemic],” Hensley said.
Businesses like Anthony's, which opened in downtown Boise this past weekend, make up the dozen that have opened.
“We really were planning to open before this pandemic started,” said Anthony's VP of Operations, Amy Burns.
The family-owned business planned to open its 23rd location in Boise a few months ago, but COVID-19 changed that. They're now being extra cautious and only open for takeout.
“Yes, it's been difficult and hard to navigate through this, but we know we will get through this and we'll adjust and adapt,” Burns said.
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