Despite being on the mailing list of the Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA), I did not receive the media statement which formed the basis of a Saturday Star story this past weekend about the Restaurant industry, and how it is suffering. Usually polite about the Government in its communication, this report presents a more critical RASA, describing the Government as ‘irresponsible’ in not allowing restaurants to open for a sit-down Service. Currently Restaurants are allowed to offer a Food and Alcohol Delivery and Collection Service in Lockdown Level 3.

Banks are no longer offering financial assistance to restaurants, deemed to be a high risk category for financial institutions. Payment of UIF to restaurant staff by the Government is haphazard, an administrative shambles based on reports I read, and it is large numbers of foreign staff that have not been paid yet. Many restaurant owners are close to giving up, this sad message posted by a Sea Point restaurant was written three days ago, by a chef who had opened his restaurant only a few months ago:

’I am writing this extremely difficult message to you with my eyes filling up with tears. They say starting a business is a pretty damn hard thing to do but as I’ve learnt, losing one is even harder.

I had a dream to one day cook and make people happy, from my guests to my amazing team behind me. I had finally made it! Things were definitely not perfect everyday, mistakes were made and toes were stepped on, however I learnt a lot. I want to say thank you to my team mates who helped me achieve my dream! To my chef Sia, my waiters Mpumi and Simba and my amazing Grace and Sbusiso, the back bones of making sure Dahlia always looked her best.
For a moment we were making a bit of magic together and I will forever be grateful and never regret a thing.

I am absolutely devastated to be saying goodbye to Dahlia on Regent. Thank you to everybody who supported us! We had a great time but for now it is time to end this chapter. Until we all meet again.

Lots of love, Damian
Dahlia on Regent’

Sadly we can expect to read more heartache stories like these in the next few weeks and months. In a Blogpost I wrote two weeks ago, I listed over twenty restaurants which have already closed down during the Lockdown. Since posting, this list has grown to 30 plus :

Restaurants in Lockdown: some have closed down, others have moved towards Food Delivery & Collection, and Alcohol Sales, as Restaurant Sit-Down remains prohibited, June 2020.

 

The Saturday Star article follows below:

‘The Restaurant Association of South Africa (Rasa) has labelled the government “irresponsible” for not allowing eateries to fully reopen under level 3 regulations.

The association says since the national lockdown was implemented on March 26, the industry has suffered enormously, with thousands of restaurants forced to close permanently.

Currently, restaurants are only open for collection and delivery services but all sit-down services are forbidden until level 1.

“At this point, our restaurants are completely crippled,” said Wendy Alberts, the chief executive of Rasa.

“The industry is completely decimated as a result of the government not being able to put the necessary standards in place in order for us to open safely.”

The lockdown has left close to 800000 people without an income, she said.

“There are hundreds of restaurants that have been forced to close. Daily, I’m getting people that are phoning me saying they are going into liquidation and closing because it’s too hard. They can’t survive on the margins. They don’t have any more funds, and the banks are not prepared to give funding.

“The banks have now put us as a high risk, many restaurants who had good relationships with their banks for over 30 years are now being turned away. The banks have simply said, ‘Sorry, you’re on your own. We can’t assist you, there is no funding from government’.”

The sector needs to reopen so that businesses can restart.

“All the government has done is abolished our business by forcing us to re-adapt our model and become businesses we are not.

“We are not takeaways and we’re not delivery services.

“How can they even begin to expect us to pay a 100% of our expenses on a 20% probability and a 100% competitive market.

It’s completely foolish of them to think we would commit such financial suicide.”

The Restaurant Collective, an association of sit-down restaurants including Ocean Basket, Tasha’s, Signature Restaurant and Famous Brands-Signature Brands, has also been advocating for level 3 to allow sit-down dining.

“All restaurants have been compliant and we have worked hand in hand with government,” said Alberts.

“We have been respectful of President Ramaphosa, we have been respectful of Covid-19, we have been respectful of the minister of tourism, but this is now getting to a point where we are decimated.”

Restaurants have continuously proven their readiness to reopen fully and safely.

“We have proved our readiness on every single account. We’ve definitely displayed exemplary behaviour in terms of slowing down the curve.

“We have done everything we were asked of by the government. We put all the protocols in place, looked after the staff and ensured consumers safety.

“We’ve even taken on the third party deliveries and made sure they are compliant and do what they need to do, so we certainly need to open up.”

Restaurants are “closing by the hour” and “there’s going to be nothing left for the industry if we don’t get the support from government to save the industry”.

“We’ve been monitoring what the rest of the world has been doing. We have forwarded all the world wide trends to government and have shown them how easily the industry has opened up around the world.

“It’s irresponsible on government’s part to allow the industry to bleed itself to death the way that we are.

Sanitisation, health standards, social distancing and wearing masks, is all part of the worldwide protocol in Covid-19 prevention.

“Just like how you would walk into a Pick * Pay and sanitise your hands and put on your mask, the same would apply at a restaurant.

“There is nothing that they are doing to the extreme in the rest of the world that South Africa suddenly needs to reinvent the entire restaurant industry,” the association said.’

The Saturday Star