skip to Main Content
MSJ NEWS see latest news

As COVID-19 Restrictions Ease, Many Minority-Owned Businesses and Restaurants Continue to Struggle to Make Rent

  • Survey by the small business resource Alignable finds that 37 percent of small businesses were unable to pay their June rent in full
  • Minority-owned businesses, restaurants, arts and entertainment, and travel and lodging were among the other categories with an elevated share of respondents struggling to make rent
  • A majority of respondents said their revenues are half of pre-pandemic levels, and nearly half were having trouble bringing back customers

Summary by Dirk Langeveld

Many small business owners are continuing to struggle to make rent even as COVID-19 business restrictions are eased nationwide, according to a recent survey by the small business network Alignable.

The survey was conducted among 3,814 small business owners between May 22 and June 15. Thirty-seven percent of respondents said they were unable to pay their full June rent. The share of minority-owned businesses that couldn’t make rent increased from 45 percent in May to 53 percent in June.

Other findings included:

  • Industries with a high share of business owners struggling to make rent included entertainers and artists (47 percent), travel and lodging (44 percent), transportation (43 percent), and nonprofits (42 percent)
  • 39 percent of restaurants were unable to make rent, down from 49 percent in May
  • In a separate Alignable poll, restaurants were most likely to be in favor of ending supplemental unemployment benefits, with 71 percent supporting such a move
  • 57 percent of small business owners said their revenues are half of pre-pandemic revenues or less, while 48 percent said they were having trouble bringing back their customers
  • Alignable says that inflation, labor shortages, and confusion over masking rules are adding further pressures to small business owners

Spread the Word

More To Explore

Expert Summaries

Know Your Competitors

By Denis Jakuc 

There are tons of benefits to knowing who your competitors are—what they’re offering, their strengths and weaknesses. That knowledge can help you make your products and services stand out,

Latest News

Join with Free InnovatorsLINK Account

Start accessing all the free member benefits and valuable content on the InnovatorsLINK platform. Create a BizLINK listing to boost brand exposure, receive the weekly Main Street Journal newsletter, engage in forums, get full access to free content, and more.