When Camilla Marcus opened her own restaurant in New York City three years ago, she had achieved a life-long goal at the age of 35, but now, this former small business owner is wondering what's next as the pandemic rages on.
Marcus tried her best to keep the doors of her West-Bourne restaurant open for as long as possible, but in September, she was forced to close. Months later, what still weighs on her the most is having to lay off nearly 30 of her beloved staff members.
All of whom are still struggling to find work.
"People in the restaurant industry are dominating job loss month after month after month in this crisis, and Congress is refusing to help us," Marcus said.
Across the country, nearly one million people work in the service industry. By some estimates, 1 in 5 in five Americans displaced because of the pandemic are from the restaurant industry.
When asked, "How are you doing?" Marcus responded, "It's a loaded question for anyone in the restaurant industry. I wish we were doing better. I wish we were getting needed help from our government."
With her restaurant closed permanently, Marcus is trying to reinvent her love for food in new ways, while trying to navigate this pandemic without a roadmap.
This is part of a series of stories examining the question: How are you doing?
