//Landlords Lose Money When Restaurant Properties Sit Vacant, So Why Not Give Rent Relief?

Landlords Lose Money When Restaurant Properties Sit Vacant, So Why Not Give Rent Relief?

Every day, David Helbraun feels like banging his head against the wall. A founding partner and chairman at Helbraun Levey, a New York City-based hospitality law firm with more than 1,000 clients in the city alone, the former entrepreneur and coffee bar owner is struggling to help restaurant owners desperate after months of COVID-19-related closures, restrictions, and income loss. The biggest obstacle, he says, is landlords who would rather see a restaurant space remain vacant, bringing in no money, than