New Data Shows Miami's Bars And Restaurants Are Nearing Pre-Pandemic Success

Whether you're a local or a tourist, Miami's food scene is something everyone can enjoy. Nothing compares to a Cubano from a food truck or a cocktail by the beach. Dining at a restaurant or bar, however, hasn't always been the easiest since the pandemic hit. Back in 2020, city regulations required all food businesses to suspend indoor dining, and even when they were allowed to resume in August of the same year, it was only at an extremely limited capacity, Miami's Local 10 News reported at the time.

Tourism quickly reached a historic low, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce shared in a 2020 statement, making it difficult for many restaurants and bars to attract customers. And within a year, the coronavirus caused an estimated 10,000 restaurants in Florida to close for good, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association said. As of August 2022, however, the CDC has cut back on many COVID restrictions nationwide (via Washington Post), and Miami's once-thriving restaurant business finally has a chance to make a full recovery.

During the peak of the pandemic, a bar or restaurant in Miami is one of the last places you would think to visit, but new data shows that many people today are now choosing to dine out more often than before. In March 2020, restaurant and bar foot traffic plummeted by nearly 70 percent and didn't begin picking up until June 2020. Since then, it's been on a slow and steady climb, and is currently approaching pre-pandemic levels.

Fortunately for struggling business owners, Miami's restaurant industry has made a significant rebound in the two year since the pandemic, and it's no coincidence that the growing foot traffic at bars and restaurants aligns with the recent increase in Florida's tourism. As Florida's Office of the Governor reported in February 2022, both the state's domestic and international visitor rates have already surpassed pre-pandemic levels. If the state's flourishing tourism industry is anything to go by, it seems Miami's restaurant industry will soon follow and exceed its pre-pandemic numbers too.