Restaurants anxious as omicron, high food costs take toll

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, MAE ANDERSON and SYLVIA HUI
Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — While restaurants in the U.S. and United Kingdom are open without restrictions and often bustling, they are entering their second winter of the coronavirus pandemic anxious about what’s ahead. They’re squeezed by labor shortages and skyrocketing food costs and the omicron variant is looming. The rapid spread of omicron already is pummeling the industry in Britain and elsewhere, with restaurant operators saying hundreds of corporate party bookings vanished overnight after omicron cases soared. Some restaurant owners in the U.S. fear renewed restrictions if infections climb. While they have seen sales climb compared with last year, staffing remains a challenge and costs are up because of inflation.