Coronavirus: LA Hospitality Company Hands Out Care Packages To Hundreds Of Furloughed Employees

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LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Los Angeles-based hospitality company SBE is providing care packages to hundreds of employees who have been furloughed because of the coronavirus epidemic which has forced massive layoffs across the industry.

A drive-up center in West Hollywood for furloughed employees of Los Angeles-based hospitality company SBE. March 25, 2020. (CBS2)

SBE -- which manages dozens of upscale hotels, restaurants and nightclubs across the U.S., including the popular restaurant chains Umami Burger and Katsuya – has put together 700 care packages containing food and toiletries for its workers.

Employees in L.A. can pick up the packages in a drive-up format at the Hyde Sunset Kitchen and Cocktails in West Hollywood.

A GoFundMe page to help pay for the packages has raised more than $106,000.

"It's a collective approach, we started a GoFundMe page last week, we're already passed $100,000, where our customers are helping our employees," SBE CEO Sam Nazarian told CBS2 Wednesday.

The Department of Labor announced Thursday that it received nearly 3.3 million new unemployment claims last week, the most in its history.