As A Post-Pandemic Dining-Out Season Looms, How Is The Local Restaurant Industry Faring?

As we enter this Memorial Day weekend, folks are feeling much, much better about going out and enjoying the things we weren’t able to enjoy during the long months of the pandemic. For people who are vaccinated, going to a restaurant is no longer tantamount to risking your life. For unvaccinated people, it’s a different story, for them and for those around them, but as more people, including teens and children, get their jabs, that special date or taking the family out are no longer a problem.Today on Midday, three perspectives on restaurants. Tom's first guest is Marshall Reston, Jr.. He is the President and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Maryland, an organization that represents about 25% of the restaurants in our state. Marshall Reston joins us on Zoom. Tom speaks next with Emily Lerman. She is a co-founder of the Mera Kitchen Collective and a Project Officer with the Baltimore Roundtable for Economic Democracy, an organization that helps co-op businesses get funding and get organized around a worker-owned model. And with her friend Irena Stein of Alma Cocina Latina, Emily is employing restaurant workers and preparing free meals for World Central Kitchen. Tom's final guest today is Christina Tkacik. She covers restaurants and dining for the Baltimore Sun. She’ll be here right after this quick break. All our guests joined us on Zoom. Theses conversations were recorded on Tuesday, so we couldn't take any calls or online comments for today's broadcast.Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.