Reservations at restaurants nationwide are up 30 percent compared to 2021, according to data from the reservation booking site OpenTable.
New Mexico ranks at the top of the list, as it saw a 382 percent increase in Valentine's Day reservations. Bookings in Oregon rose 247 percent, and Washington saw a 102 percent increase.
California saw an increase of 94 percent.
The only two states with fewer reservations than last year are Idaho and Vermont. Bookings were down 1 percent in Idaho and 38 percent in Vermont.
“We’re excited to see this momentum leading up to what has traditionally been one of the biggest dining days of the year for restaurants,” said Susan Lee, chief growth officer at OpenTable.
The National Restaurant Association estimates that in the first six months of the pandemic, nearly one in six restaurants, which represents almost 100,000 businesses, have shut down.
Industry sales were down $240 billion in 2020 from an expected $899 billion, according to the National Restaurant Association, which is comparable to 2019’s $863 billion in sales.
With the authorization of the first two COVID-19 vaccines in December 2020, the industry saw some improvement. Cases began declining, restrictions were lifted, and indoor or outdoor dining options became available.
Pandemic-induced labor shortages had a wide-ranging effect on the industry as many establishments were forced to cut hours, and sometimes entire days of service.
The March 2021 American Rescue Plan Act provided further relief to restaurants, bars, caterers, and other foodservice providers through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), which established $28.6 billion in grant money for the industry.
On Feb.9, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders agreed to restore paid sick leave for COVID-19 as the omicron surge created labor shortages in California's workforce. Under the agreement, an early budget action to provide an additional $6.1 billion in tax relief, tax credits, and direct grants for small businesses hit hard by the pandemic, bolstering the state’s historic COVID relief efforts.
Before this, California workers have been without extra paid time off for COVID – on top of just three days of regular paid sick leave – since a statewide program ended Sept. 30, 2021.
