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Restaurant sales in April were 50% of the level in February. Higher than I would have guessed. https://restaurant.org/Articles/News/Restaurant-sales-fell-to-lowest-level-in-35-years
Many retail sectors are suffering much more than the restaurant industry, which makes sense given that most people aren’t buying clothes with curbside pickup: https://www.census.gov/retail/marts/www/marts_current.pdf
That bars (which are closed entirely) and restaurants are lumped together in this category makes the restaurant performance even more striking.
This being the case, the economic benefit of allowing restaurants to resume in-person dining might be pretty small, related to the added risks.
One of the most hopeful economic signs is that declines have been concentrated in durable goods where demand can be pent-up
