Father’s Day Delivers a Big Boost to Reopened U.S. Restaurants

(Bloomberg) -- Restaurants in the U.S. had their strongest day in months as Father’s Day attracted a new wave of in-house diners, according to data from online reservation company OpenTable, even in areas where coronavirus cases have skyrocketed.

Seated diners were down 41% from a year earlier on June 21, compared with a 59% drop just one day earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Restaurant closures forced Americans to eat at home through much of March and April, and the numbers have been gradually recovering since states started reopening in May.

In Texas, where Governor Greg Abbott said Monday the virus is spreading at unacceptable levels, diners were only 9% below last year’s levels. Arizona, also a flashpoint of new cases, was 24% lower.

Father’s Day last year fell on June 16, so the numbers for this year compare with just a typical weekday in 2019. Still, it shows consumers are venturing out even as case counts rise.

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