RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Dinner time at La Bamba Mexican Restaurant in Shockoe Bottom is a lot quieter these days.

The coronavirus pandemic has hit the restaurant scene especially hard. According to the National Restaurant Association, the restaurant industry – more than any other industry – has suffered the most significant sales and job losses since the COVID-19 outbreak began.

Armando Campero, the owner of La Bamba, told 8News he has successfully run the restaurant for 16 years, but now Campero is facing uncharted territory and struggling to make ends meet.

“It has been really, really slow and it’s sad for us and for everybody because we’ve been considering one of the actions to close down,” Campero said.

The fate of his restaurant remains uncertain.

“It’s really tough,” Campero said.

He says before the COVID-19 outbreak, there would be long lines outside his restaurant, especially during lunchtime. He heavily relied on nearby offices to stop by during their break but now most people are working from home.

Eric Terry, president of Virginia Restaurant, Lodging, and Travel Association, revealed 25 percent of restaurants in the commonwealth have shut down due to the pandemic.

“A lot of restaurants are going out of business. We are a family business trying to swim against the current,” Campero said.

La Bamba customer Harrison Williams says it’s disappointing to see Richmond’s popular restaurant scene slowly disappear.

“All my friends come here and hang out and eat and drink and this is just one that I could not handle. It made me very upset to hear that they were potentially gonna go out of business,” Williams said.

He says supporting local is more important now than ever to help keep restaurants afloat.

“It comes down if you’re okay with accepting the risks involved with someone else preparing your food. Purchase some food to go, you don’t have to go in the restaurant and walk around,” Williams said.

Restaurant owners like Campero are being forced to quickly gain consumer confidence back and adapt to a new normal in order to safely serve the community just to keep the lights on.

He plans to reevaluate the situation his restaurant is facing at the end of the year and possibly make a tough call then.

LATEST HEADLINES: