A virtual New Year’s Eve celebration means less customers for the businesses both big and small in the area around Times Square.

It’s another blow in an already difficult year for restaurant owner Jeff LaPadula.

His plant-based vegan restaurant donates its profits to charity.

“December 2019 was our busiest month on record. So this right now, if it wasn’t for the pandemic, would have been our best month ever. We kind of gear up for this time of year,” LaPadua explained.

He says the days leading up to New Year's Eve are normally some of their busiest, with tourism at a high, but with little or no tourists visiting this year, sales are down 95%.

This year, they have decided to close on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day.

“New Year’s day was a typically nice day for us, as people were staggering around looking for somewhere to go and get something to eat. We would do a New Year’s brunch or something, noting this year,” said LaPadula. 

Syed Hassan owns NYC Luggage & Electronics on 8th Avenue.

This year, he ordered just 10% of their usual New Year's Eve accessories.

In years past, half the store would be covered in festive party supplies and workers would have to keep restocking. 

But day before New Year’s eve, not one sale. 

“This time, it would be crowded really bad like last year, it was really, really a lot. But nothing, as you see, there is no people,” said Hassan.

Across the street at Times Square Wine and Liquor, Yazid Almuhan says his family business is feeling the effects of a virtual celebration, too. 

They say they are barely seeing 20% of their normal sales. 

With revelers celebrating at home, Almuhan thought sales would be up.

But their champagne section, the popular drink of choice on New Year’s Eve, hasn't been touched. 

“It is one of the best days of the year for us business-wise, and I don’t think it is going to happen tomorrow.”