Topper's was hardly alone: Scores of restaurants nationwide shut down or reduced service as American got a grip on COVID-19. Even as restrictions eased, the industry and its employees were reeling.
The National Restaurant Association says 2020 sales were "$240 billion below the association’s pre-pandemic forecast for the year." By Dec. 1, "more than 110,000 eating and drinking places were closed for business temporarily, or for good."
As for employees: According to the association, 2020 ended "nearly 2.5 million jobs below its pre-coronavirus level."
But just when things looked toughest for the workers at Topper's Tavern, the golfers of Spruce Creek stepped up – or, to be more exact, they scrubbed up.