A national lobbying group established during the pandemic released a promotional video this month that describes in about 60 seconds just how bad coronavirus has turned out to be for local restaurants, and how it’s only getting worse. The ad is playing now on cable channels in major markets. Its message focuses on the Independent Restaurant Coalition’s statistics of looming restaurant closures (up to 85%) and job losses (as many as 16 million) before providing a call to action for Congress to pass the Restaurants Act. TV personality and chef Andrew Zimmern was behind its production, and actor Morgan Freeman narrates: “Neighborhood restaurants are the lifeblood of our communities,” Freeman starts.