Now that countries around the world are reopening their economies, the question is—will people venture out, shop, and eat in restaurants? So far the data suggests they will. Or at least some of them will. The number of restaurant goers in Germany has been rising, as of last week the number of seated diners is only down 30% from last year.
Progress has been slower in America, which opened later. There are small increaes in diners as states reopen. And as the weeks go by, more people appear to be dining out. These trends suggest more will come in the coming weeks, though there are some constraints on capacity. A reliance on more outdoor dining may also mean dining will be more weather dependent this summer.
These trends suggest, unless there is a bad second wave, the worst of the economic damage has passed. But living in a world with depressed economic activity is the next challenge.
Allison Schrager is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Follow her on Twitter here.
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