Effect of Coronavirus Pandemic on NYC Businesses
New York City has been the epicenter of the Coronavirus pandemic since March 2020. The city has been under stay-at-home orders since March 7, 2020 and it has obviously effected the businesses of the city greatly.
Of course, different sectors are going to be affected differently. Are some sectors relatively unaffected? We talked to a few business owners to see how they were faring during this unprecedented time.
Home Service Sectors (Plumbers, Roofers, etc.)
We spoke with Josh from 24 Hour Plumber NYC about how he was faring during the Pandemic. This is what he had to say:
“Personally, I’ve had friends and family who have come down with COVID-19, and it’s been tough to see them suffering. Thankfully I haven’t lost anyone to the virus, and I hold out hope that we will all get through this relatively unscathed. On the business side of things, we have seen a contraction. A big portion of our customer base are business owners in and around downtown manhattan, such as restaurants, bars, and office buildings. With the state-wide shutdown, we’ve seen a reduction in calls from these customers.
“However, we have seen an increase in residential calls, perhaps because more people are spending their time and using their facilities at home. It hasn’t quite made up for the reduction in business calls, but it has been a nice bump.”
Intuitively this might make sense. People will always need plumbers, whether at home or at work.
Professional Services (Lawyers, etc)
We spoke with Edward Ditomasso of DiTomasso and DiTomasso, a law firm in downtown Manhattan, about his experience with the Pandemic:
“To sum it up: Courts are closed. This means that work pretty much comes to a standstill. With the exception of some consulting on employment law as clients deal with layoffs, PPP programs and unemployment insurance, the bulk of work has been put to a stop.
“However, unlike some other unfortunate sectors, like restaurants and bars, we do expect the demand to build up. We have a backlog of hearings and appeals that will need to be done when the courts open back up. Nonetheless, rent and bills are still due, so we’ve had our fair share of stress while waiting it out.”
Restaurants and Bars
Perhaps obviously, the hardest hit area of city businesses has been the restaurants and bars. These restaurants are the life blood of the service industry, with full service restaurants employing upwards of 160,000 New Yorkers as of 2019 (and that seems like an underestimation).
We spoke with several restraurant workers and owners about the Pandemic and the feedback was pretty grim, as expected:
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. A rug has been pulled out from under me. I hope my landlord will give me a break on the rent.”
“I had to lay off all 15 of my employees, which was extremely hard. I am working with them to make sure they get their unemployment, and that alone as been a full time job. I hope the business survives and I can hire them all back ASAP.”
Conclusion
So as you can see, this shutdown is rippling through society at different rates and in different ways. We will have to wait and see how long the shutdown will continue to last and how fast businesses can bounce back (if at all). Governor Cuomo recently extended the shutdown to the middle of June.
References

Enjoying New York’s Best Restaurants
If you are going to go to New York, there is so much more to this place than just tourist attractions such as the Empire State Building or Lady Liberty. In reality, there are a lot of good food to enjoy in New York City. And since it’s the city that never sleeps, you will be surprised by the number of options that you can go for especially if you are planning to go bar hopping.
Now, if you want to get the most out of your small budget, all that you have to do is to do a bit of research. Try to rent an Airbnb in areas that have a high concentration of delicious food options. This way, you can enjoy the food, culture, and not hurt your budget as well. These are just simple tricks that you can do if you plan on having a good time in New York. You have to read the reviews in order for you to have the best experience. Try to see which restaurants have rave reviews, or even better, try to see which ones have a Michelin Star that they can brag to their customers.

Why Choose to Visit New York?
Ever wondered why where you will go next? If you are looking for the best destination out there, then it’s a good idea to stick to New York. Why New York? First, let’s have to admit that this is one of the best cities out there. It has all the transportation that you will ever need. In fact, it is quite a tourist-friendly option that you don’t need to have your own car to enjoy New York as it is. You also don’t have to spend so much since there are a lot of affordable restaurants out there. Though it is one of the most expensive according to a lot of travel websites, it is all about doing your research. Try to do your homework and you will realize that it offers cheap options.
If you are going to look at the different cultures that you are going to experience in New York, you will realize that you can actually enjoy a number of cultures in one place. New York is known as a melting pot. And the good thing about this is that you can also enjoy a good number of different restaurants.