Don't have blanket ban on dine-in, say restaurateurs, chefs

 

Over 80 restaurateurs and head chefs in the Klang Valley have started a petition urging Putrajaya to allow dining-in at restaurants under the new movement control order (MCO).

Restaurant owner Edward Soo, who started the petition on Change.org, said the implementation of the MCO has adversely affected their businesses over the past year.

“Unlike hawker stalls, fast food restaurants, and other similar outlets, our restaurants are not suited to the delivery/takeaway model.

“During the past two MCOs, our sales dropped by up to 90 percent and we incurred tremendous losses.

“Some of us had to implement staff pay cuts, incur debts, and may have to close our restaurants if the situation does not improve,” the petition read.

However, the restaurateurs and head chefs say they fully understand the need to control the pandemic and the sacrifice everyone needs to make.

“In this regard, we have implemented stringent SOPs in our restaurants, which are constantly monitored by the local council and police.

“There are of course some recalcitrant restaurants or bars who flout the SOPs, but the whole industry should not be punished because of the failure of a few,” it said.

As of the time of writing, the petition is slightly over halfway to its target, with 2,541 signatures out of 5,000.

Soo later told Malaysiakini he already had to close one of his restaurants during the MCO, though he tried to keep his staff as much as possible by posting them to his other restaurants.

“We are suffering big losses. For us, we are losing about RM40,000 to RM50,000 a month, per restaurant,” he said.

The structure of their business is different, he said, from other eateries which can transition smoothly to a takeaway or delivery business model.

“The impact on us is very, very great. A lot of people including policymakers say ‘You can do takeaway or delivery, you will be okay’. Or they say you can change your business model.

“Our chefs are paid a minimum of RM8,000 to RM12,000 each. Our core structure is different,” Soo said.

He reiterated that he understands the need to sacrifice in the midst of a global pandemic but said the sacrifice must be worth it.

“If you tell me to close my restaurants for two months and at the end of the two months, we will be like New Zealand, then I am okay. I will do it.

“But so many things are still allowed (under the MCO), this is never going to end. It might last two years… we cannot keep going this way,” he said.

He also agreed with taking action against restaurants that flout the SOPs but stressed there is no need to ban dining-in for the entire industry.

“Yes, there are some restaurants that don’t follow SOPs. By all means, go after them and stop them from operating, tell them two weeks they cannot operate. I am okay with that.

“But don’t have blanket conditions that say all restaurants cannot open for dining in,” he said.

The latest MCO came into effect for six districts in Selangor starting May 6, while it took effect on May 7 for Kuala Lumpur. - Mkini