Tens of thousands of restaurant jobs have been lost across the UK this year following a wave of closures caused by the pandemic.
Some 22,000 roles in the industry have been cut in 2020 - nearly double the number of redundancies for the whole of 2019 - according to the Centre for Retail Research (CRR).
This represents a 95.4 per cent increase on the 11,280 job losses reported during last year.
Bristol is no exception and has seen its fair share of eateries being forced to shut, including big-name chains such as Pizza Express and Carluccio’s.
The city has also lost smaller independents such as Cafe Britalia in Brislington, Birch in Southville, and Rocotillos on Gloucester Road and The Triangle in Clifton.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the centre, said: "The sector was already in severe difficulties before the pandemic as a result of rapid over-expansion fuelled by private equity acquisitions, with the enforced lockdown serving to starve operators of revenue bringing restaurateurs now to their knees."
One Bristol Job Centre manager said demand for support across the city has “skyrocketed” since lockdown.
Rob Evans, manager of Temple Street, said he had seen a 145 per cent increase in the number of claimants in Bristol since lockdown - from just under 10,000 claimants to almost 24,000.
He pointed out that Bristol is “very reliant” on the hospitality and retail sector, which is being heavily impacted by the crisis.
He said: "I think this is concerning for everybody and I do not think we understand yet the full impact of the pandemic on jobs. It is worrying for everyone."
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is hoping his Eat Out to Help Out scheme will give the industry the boost it needs to get back on its feet.
On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday during August, restaurant goers can get 50 per cent off the cost of a meal (up to a limit of £10) at participating venues, with the bill being footed by the Government.
The scheme is designed to get more people going out and spending money to boost the economy and rescue the sector.
More than 72,000 places across the UK are part of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, including some of the most popular fast food outlets and coffee shops.
