Danny Meyer Expects His Dining Rooms to Remain Closed Until a Vaccine

On March 13, Danny Meyer shut all of his 19 New York restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Café, because of coronavirus safety concerns. A few days later, the chief executive officer of Union Square Hospitality Group laid off 2,000 employees.

Now, Meyer says his dining rooms will stay closed for the foreseeable future. “We won’t be welcoming guests into our full-service restaurants for a very long time—probably not until there’s a vaccine,” he says. “There is no interest or excitement on my part to having a half-full dining room while everyone is getting their temperature taken and wearing masks, for not much money.”