Restaurant industry has worsened in the last quarter compared to three months ago, according to a new survey

The restaurant industry’s recovery is on ice. In a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association (NRA), more than half of restaurant operators said business today isn’t just bad—it’s actually worse compared with three months ago, CNBC reports. The list of complaints is a familiar one: The Delta variant is driving down customer demand; a mix of rising labor and food costs is eating into operators’ already-thin margins; and understaffing persists. Given the gloomy state of food service these days, NRA pleaded in a letter to congressional leaders not only for additional funding for the bone-dry Restaurant Revitalization Fund, but also for Congress to reconsider new tax hikes under the Build Back Better Act and hefty fines for labor violations. “Our nation’s restaurant recovery is officially moving in reverse,” wrote Sean Kennedy, NRA’s executive vice president of public affairs.