The restaurant scenario amidst COVID-19 is closer to the edge and requires without further delay to bring well-planned relief.

The restaurant scenario amidst COVID-19: Scenario :

The hospitality industry worldwide is suffering badly from the Covid -19 pandemic. Nepal has not been spared either. All major hotels, restaurants, clubs, bars, coffee shops even street food vendors have been severely impacted by the lockdown. The Restaurant front plays a major role in generating employment. Training people who aspire to go abroad. This front has taken a major hit as well.

Though the government has come out with some relief measures, businesses that have made the personal capital investment without any help from the financial institutions are in a fix. There are a handful of such businesses whose income have generated enough cash reserves to support them for a few months. Should the lockdown extend further, 90% of the restaurants will face problems.

The restaurant scenario amidst COVID-19: Operational problems

Despite any detailed operating guidelines from the governing bodies, some of us are going with the notion “something is better than nothing”. And trying our hands at online pre-ordered delivery. But this comes with a price. The operating costs have shot up with expenses on sanitization, delivery logistics & staff insurance.

For some of us: though we want to operate with the bare minimum, just enough to cover the staff and rent expenses, until things normalize, bringing the workforce back from their homes is a major challenge. The business owners are unaware of the conditions of their employees’ hometown and unwilling to bear the risk of bringing the virus.

Towards cost Cutting

It has become inevitable that businesses will have to start laying off their employees. Even if restaurants are allowed to open, social distancing will have to be practised by each business for some times. They will have to wait for things to be normal. Till customer confidence is boosted, provided disposable income of customers have also improved.

The restaurant scenario amidst COVID-19: Hope

Therefore, if we are to understand that it is because of government actions that we have low numbers of cases compared to other developed nations. Then it is with the same optimism, we businesses, feel the government should work to build the confidence of the businesses and its employees and without further delay bring out well-planned relief packages and phase-wise lift off of the lockdown.

KRATU RAJ PANDEY
OWNER AACHAR GHAR

 

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