Outrage Follows Ohio Restaurant Group’s Endorsement of Gov. DeWine

Thousands of restaurants and bars have closed amid Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s COVID-19 shutdowns and restrictions. Many restaurant and bar owners across the state are expressing outrage after the Ohio Restaurant Association announced it is endorsing DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted for re-election. “They have betrayed the very businesses they claim to represent,” said Aaron Crater, a professional bartender who founded an advocacy group for the hospitality industry called Ohio Barhop in the summer of 2020.

“Gov. DeWine destroyed our industry, shutting it down without any regard to actual data and science.” As of March 2022, more than 3,000 Ohio restaurants—or about 10 percent—have closed during the pandemic, according to the association. Clinging to Life Crater believes that number is conservative and says that around 4,000 restaurants and bars shuttered for good in 2020 alone. Thousands more, he estimated, are clinging to life because of the heavy restrictions that …