San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria on the Current and Future State of Local Restaurants

This past week has been marked by major developments and impactful changes within the restaurant industry as it fights to bounce back from the pandemic. From national programs like the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which offers direct help in the form of $28.6 billion in grants and funding for restaurants, to local shifts in restrictions including new rules for area breweries, wineries, and distilleries and the restart of indoor dining with San Diego County’s recent move into the red tier.

On this week’s episode of the Scene in San Diego podcast with NBC 7, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria joined us to discuss how the city’s restaurants have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and what his office is doing to help the industry cope and rebuild.

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Gloria, whose Back to Work SD plan, a blueprint to strengthen San Diego’s economy, included input from local restaurateurs, said he’s confident that San Diego diners and restaurants will continue to adhere to county restrictions as we return to indoor dining.

He’s impressed with how the hospitality industry has adapted to these pandemic times, and talked about some of the restaurants he’s been frequenting near his Mission Hills home

Those wondering if some pandemic-era allowances, including to-go cocktails and outdoor dining parklets, will be allowed to continue post-pandemic, will be glad to know that the Mayor is working on making these things more permanent. Gloria said, “The public has clearly said that they want these things, they enjoy these things, they’re making use of them and after all that we’ve put up with over the past year, how could we take that joy back from people?”