Baltimore-area restaurants saw a ‘year of financial hell.’ Yet fewer closed than predicted. Here’s how.

If 2020 were a person, restaurant owner Kimberly Ellis says, “I would beat the hell out of him.” Beyond the fear of getting sick, she faced lower revenues and a dispute with her landlord. But things are looking up for Ellis and her business, Breaking Bread. Within the past year, she was able to receive grants, loans and other assistance to stay afloat. She ditched her previous location in Pigtown.