{"id":206349,"date":"2020-06-15T09:13:17","date_gmt":"2020-06-15T07:13:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/?p=206349"},"modified":"2020-06-15T09:13:17","modified_gmt":"2020-06-15T07:13:17","slug":"restaurant-association-of-sa-describes-government-as-irresponsible-for-not-allowing-restaurant-sit-down-service-at-lockdown-level-3-more-and-more-restaurants-closing-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/restaurant-association-of-sa-describes-government-as-irresponsible-for-not-allowing-restaurant-sit-down-service-at-lockdown-level-3-more-and-more-restaurants-closing-down\/","title":{"rendered":"Government described as \u2018irresponsible\u2019 for not allowing Restaurant Sit-Down Service at Lockdown Level 3!"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"\"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 \u2018irresponsible<\/i>\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

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:<\/p>\n

\u2019I\u00a0am 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\u2019ve learnt, losing one is even harder.<\/i><\/p>\n

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.
\nFor a moment we were making a bit of magic together and I will forever be grateful and never regret a thing.<\/i><\/p>\n

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.<\/i><\/p>\n

Lots of love, Damian
\nDahlia on Regent\u2019<\/i><\/p>\n

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 :<\/p>\n

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.<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n