Long before a pandemic rocked the industry and forced restaurants across the country to find new ways to provide food to their customers, the term off-premises was already a part of the common indu

The National Restaurant Association wants to set the record straight.

Restaurants have surged to the top of the closure picture, surpassing retail in recent weeks.

In just the past two weeks, state and local government mandates have shut down nearly 100,000 restaurants as COVID-19 cases surge, the National Restaurant Association said Wednesd

By mid-July, 85 percent of all restaurants should—barring a setback—be located in markets where some level of on-premise dining is permitted.

Popeyes’ chicken sandwich has already secured its place in fast-food lore.

Before mid-March, when COVID-19 began its assault on restaurant sales, the industry was tracking toward a fate akin to retail.

While the news cycle lately has, understandably, pushed COVID-19 down the ladder a bit, the reality isn’t quite the same for restaurants.

There’s no COVID-19 timeline. And it can be difficult to separate reality from being a prisoner of the moment.