Episode 28: How long can local restaurants survive? With Stan Harris of the Louisiana Restaurant Association

We talk to Stan Harris, the president and CEO of the Louisiana Restaurant Association. New Orleans restaurants are facing an existential crisis because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Logically, chains with deep pockets are in the best shape to survive the down year but many mom and pops in Nola and around the state are holding on by learning to put quality food on the table with lower budgets and fewer employees. But how long can they survive? And what happens to those former employees who are waiting for jobs to return? The answer may depend on how much more federal and state aid is headed their way in the coming months. We’ll talk about all this plus why you don’t hear about restaurant bankruptcies, how artificial intelligence can’t sauté a piece of fish and why the restaurant industry is particularly good for the state. Hint: no tax breaks.