2019

December

• December 31, 2019: A pneumonia of unknown cause is reported to the Chinese country office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

2020

January

• January 10, 2020: WHO issues its first guidance on the new pneumonia-like cases, stating that cases could have derived from a new coronavirus strain

• January 21, 2020: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirms the first case of coronavirus in the United States

• January 28, 2020: Starbucks closes 2,150 of its China locations following a rise in COVID-19 cases

• January 30, 2020: The World Health Organization declares COVID-19 a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” for only the sixth time in history

• January 31, 2020: The United States Health and Human Services Secretary announces that COVID-19 is a national public health emergency

February

• February 3, 2020: The National Restaurant Association offers guidelines for restaurants to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus

• February 17, 2020: WHO issues guidance on the treatment of ill travelers and mass gatherings

March

• March 5, 2020: A survey by Technomic shows 32% of respondents plan to eat at restaurants less frequently as a result of the pandemic

• March 11, 2020: Who declares COVID-19 a pandemic, the first in history sparked by a coronavirus

• March 12, 2020: A study by Womply finds that sales by Chinese restaurants have fallen by 1% since January, likely due to a rise in anti-Asian rhetoric and hate crimes

• March 12, 2020: New York requires restaurants to cut seating in half, one of the earliest such measures to be implemented

• March 13, 2020: The Trump administration declares COVID-19 a national emergency

• March 15, 2020: States begin enacting mandatory closures of restaurants, bars, and clubs, restricting indoor dining in part or entirely

• March 17, 2020: A survey by Black Box Intelligence shows 70% of restaurants have witnessed a downturn in consumption since March 13

• March 18, 2020: The National Restaurant Association estimates the industry may lose $225 billion in sales within the next 3 months

• March 19, 2020: California issues the first stay-at-home order, barring residents from non-essential activities

• March 21, 2020: Restaurants begin selling groceries and pre-made meals, the start of a new shift in marketing 

• March 24, 2020: Yum Brands states 7,000 restaurants have closed as a result of the pandemic

• March 25, 2020: Technomic claims restaurant sales may decline 11% to 27% by the end of 2020

• March 27, 2020: President Trump signs the CARES act into law, offering aid to small businesses, citizens, hospitals, restaurants, and governments

• March 27, 2020: The National Restaurant Association states that 3% of restaurants have permanently closed and the number could increase by 11% within a month

• March 30, 2020: Research from the National Restaurant Association shows that 3 million jobs and $25 billion in sales were lost within the restaurant industry in the first 22 days of March

April

• April 3, 2020: Reports from the US Department of Labor show the restaurant industry lost 417,000 jobs in the first half of March

• April 8, 2020: The FDA lifts federal menu-labeling regulations, making it easier for restaurants to change delivery and take-off menus without a risk of sanctions

• April 9, 2020: Same-store sales for restaurants fell by 28.3% in March 2020 in the worst month in recorded history

• April 20, 2020: Georgia states it will allow restaurants to reopen indoor dining rooms on April 27, the first state to announce such an action

• April 20, 2020: At odds with Georgia’s plan, Denver’s mayor plans to extend the city’s restaurant shutdown

• April 23, 2020: Some Colorado restaurants decide that reopening in May 2020 is too risky

May

• May 12, 2020: California’s governor releases guidelines for restaurants attempting to reopen

• May 24, 2020: Colorado’s governor allows restaurants to reopen indoor dining, requiring social distancing and increased health measures

June

• June 5, 2020: Various counties in California reopen indoor and outdoor dining in a hopeful step toward reopening

• June 10, 2020: US reaches 2 million COVID-19 cases

• June 29, 2020: 6-month anniversary of COVID-19 marked by WHO

July

• July 2, 2020: Some states see a shift in outbreak epicenters from nursing homes to restaurants, increasing fears of dining indoors

• July 15, 2020: Starbucks begins requiring customers to wear masks, one of the earliest to do so

August

• August 20, 2020: The James Beard Foundation suspends the Restaurant and Chef Awards in both 2020 and 2021 as a result of the pandemic

September

• September 15, 2020: A study in the CDC’s Morbity and Mortality Report Weekly shows that the people who tested positive for COVID-19 were 2.4 times more likely to have dined out, increasing fears of dining at restaurants

• September 25, 2020: New York releases plan to continue outdoor dining indefinitely

• September 28, 2020: 1 million people had died of COVID-19 globally

October

• October 30, 2020: Chicago bans indoor dining

November

• Week of November 8, 2020: San Francisco bans indoor dining as states and cities enforce curfews and reinstate lockdowns

• November 25, 202o: Los Angeles county shuts down outdoor dining following a rise of Thanksgiving travel

December

• December 11, 2020: The Pfiezer, BioNTech vaccine is granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in the United States as the first vaccine available to treat COVID-19 in the US

• December 14, 2020: New York City bans indoor dining

• December 18, 2020: The Moderna vaccine is granted EUA by the FDA

2021

January

• January 11, 2021: The Paycheck Protection Program reopens and $18 billion goes to the restaurant industry by the middle of February

February

• February 12, 2021: Indoor dining reopens in New York City at only 25% capacity

• February 24, 2021: President Biden extends the National Emergency Declaration past March 1, 2021

March

• March 10, 2021: Texas lifts all COVID-related capacity limits and its mask mandate

• March 11, 2021: President Biden signs the American Rescue Plan Act into law, sending additional funds to businesses and individuals

April

• April 19, 2021: Anyone age 16 and up is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination

May

• May 13, 2021: The CDC states that vaccinated Americans do not need to wear masks when gathering with others

June

• June 3, 2021: California extends its order to allow restaurants to serve food outdoors as well as serve cocktails to go

• June 25, 2021: The Federal Reserve extends the Paycheck Protection Program through July 30, 2021 for the last time

July

• July 27, 2021: The CDC recommends that all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, should resume wearing masks indoors where COVID is still strong

• July 29, 2021: More than 300 bars in the San Francisco area begin requiring proof of vaccination or of a negative COVID-19 test

• July 30, 2021: The Delta variant sweeps across the United States with new reports showing it is as contagious as the chicken pox

August

• August 2, 2021: 70% of American adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine