//For Restaurants Fighting to Stay Open, Landlords Prove a Major Hurdle

For Restaurants Fighting to Stay Open, Landlords Prove a Major Hurdle

As soon as Ted Hopson, chef and co-owner of the Bellwether in Studio City, California, heard the governor talking about coronavirus in early March, he knew it would be bad for business. On March 16, Hopson sat down and emailed his landlord. Business was down, he wrote. “We are hoping you would be willing to work with us, maybe defer our rent to a later date, since we have zero income right now.” Two days later he got a response