---
title: "Study Reports More Than Half Of Restaurants Couldn't Pay September Rent"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/dd648d49-00c1-4172-8529-03b110d102de
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/articles/study_reports_more_than_half_of_restaurants_couldnt_pay_september_rent.html
author: "Multi-Unit Franchisee"
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
published: 2021-10-05T09:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:12:07.860Z
image: https://imgs.franchising.com/art/articles/6292_plate.jpg
---

# Study Reports More Than Half Of Restaurants Couldn't Pay September Rent

**TL;DR:** Alignable's September Rent Report found that 51% of restaurant operators in the US couldn't pay their rent in September, citing the Delta variant surge, inflation, and labor shortage as leading reasons. The report also found that 35% of small businesses in the US couldn't pay their rent, with Michigan having the highest rate of small business rent delinquency at 43%.

*By Multi-Unit Franchisee, originally published in Franchising.com on 2021-10-05. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/articles/study_reports_more_than_half_of_restaurants_couldnt_pay_september_rent.html).*

## Story

Alignable’s September Rent Report is out and highlights grim news for small business operators when it comes to paying rent. In September, 35 percent of small businesses in the U.S.

couldn’t pay their rent. It was worse for restaurant operators, 51 percent of them couldn’t make rent. Here are some highlights from the study: In September, 35% of small businesses in the U.

S. (up 5% from August) couldn’t pay their rent. Many cited the surge in Delta variant cases, as a leading reason for the issue, along with rising inflation, and an ongoing labor shortage.

For restaurants and other industries that require in-person contact, the rates of rent problems were particularly severe in September. For the first time in six months, the majority of restaurant owners (51%) couldn’t pay their full rent (up 6% from August). Percentages also increased for massage therapists (48%, up 26% from August), beauty salons (46%, up 5%), construction company owners (42%, up 11% from August), retailers (40%, up 3% from August), and gyms (38%, up 5% from August).

The state with the highest rate of small business rent delinquency is now Michigan (43%). 80 percent of renters responding to the poll said they’ve received no help from landlords, in terms of rent reductions, delays, or other even assistance in applying for PPP loans. Read more at Alignable’s September Rent Report.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- restaurant industry (topic)
- Multi-Unit Franchisee (person)
- michigan (location)
- small business (topic)
- labor shortage (topic)
- Delta (company)
- Alignable (company)
- delta variant (topic)
- rent payment (topic)

---
Originally reported by Multi-Unit Franchisee, Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/articles/study_reports_more_than_half_of_restaurants_couldnt_pay_september_rent.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/dd648d49-00c1-4172-8529-03b110d102de).