Thread by @DKaplanFox5DC

Got one of those assignments from my boss you never know how to tackle right away.

"How many businesses have closed due to COVID in our area?" They asked for a data-driven story.

Challenge accepted.

I've spoken with so many bar and restaurant owners, how do I find numbers?

First thing I did: text @kpelechrinis. Helped me w/ a story in march. He was using cell phone data to determine how much people are moving and where they're going. He could do a similar thing with "SafeGraph". "I believe it might be possible".

#WTAE

wtae.com/article/resear…

He said to text him in the morning. I did. "I've got great stuff," he told me.

On top of that, I reached out to Yelp, and Open Table. Yelp reported similar data last week, Open Table keeps this type of data too.

#WTAE

Yelp sent me this link & added specific Pittsburgh Regional Data.

Between March 1 and July 10:
Total closures: 739
Permanent Closures: 369

Yelp also found a correlation between bars/restaurants being open and places with spikes.

yelpeconomicaverage.com/yea-q2-2020.ht…

@OpenTable got back to me shortly after @Yelp saying they too have data. It's broken down pretty well, too.

First, I looked at big picture trends. Reminder that Open Table kinda only tracks walk-ins, those who sit down and online reservations.

opentable.com/state-of-indus…

Definitely have to click this picture, but here's a sampling of the decline in daily Open Table reservations n'at compared to the same exact day last year for Pittsburgh.

They're down an average of 79%.

Keep in mind, that doesn't account for takeout or delivery.

#WTAE

THEN @kpelechrinis gets back to me with some numbers based on the SafeGraphs foot traffic that's sort of in line with that Open Table Data.

Pittsburgh Foot Traffic From March-July 2019 vs. 2020:
Restaurants -71%
Bars -80%
Merchandise -37%

#WTAE

SO, none of these data sets tell the full story on their own.

But together, they paint the picture of how challenging the climate is.

All you have to do is find one restaurant owner to illustrate that.

We found Gepetto Cafe owner Evren Kara on Butler Street in Lawrenceville.

He said they've gotten special permitting to have outdoor dining, stuck to 25% indoor dining, added delivery, done digital marketing.

I didn't tell him about our data before I asked him how much things are down.

"Around 60%" he told me.

He also said he's had to cut staff...

Which leads me to the help I got from @VanOsdol_WTAE. He pointed me towards @PALaborIndustry website which has data for Allegheny County's unemployment claims.

Around 67k continued claims, a staggering 25.5% of them in Accommodation and Food Services

That's nearly 17,100 souls

So there you have it. The full story and how I got it.

Thanks to Gepetto Cafe, @VanOsdol_WTAE @kpelechrinis @Yelp @OpenTable @PALaborIndustry SafeGraphs, and thanks to @JimParsons and @BaylorLong for the challenge

TV version on at 6 tonight.

Hope you'll tune in.

#WTAE

Here's a link to the story to see it all in one place.

wtae.com/article/data-p…

ANOTHER THING:

Pelechrinis's inference from the data: both sides are right.

Restaurant owners right to be annoyed about restrictions & harming business. But restrictions in place by governments are going off data that shows more foot-traffic/in-person dining=spike in cases.