Restaurants see income drop by 40 pc in Mid-Autumn

The turnover of restaurants at the Mid-Autumn Festival declined by 30 to 40 percent compared to last year due to the epidemic, says a catering veteran.

Ray Chui Man-wai, president of the Institute of Dining Professionals, said in a radio programme that he learned many dining premises suffered under expected profit during the holiday.

He noted restaurants offering Chinese cuisine saw less income at 50 to 60 percent than last year. “Some restaurants even witnessed fewer customers than waiters,” he added.

The reasons for the strike in the restaurant business vary, according to Chui, including customers who had to cancel table bookings for the newly issued group gathering regulations, the elderly in families who were afraid of dining outside, and so on.

Chui expressed a pessimistic attitude toward the managing circumstances of the food industry.

“It would be better to raise the customer cap per table to twelve from eight if the vaccination rate increases," Chui suggested, "coupling with relaxing the restriction of people joining banquets from 120 to 240.”
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