Hello, foodies! Ever since the implementation of the second Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Putrajaya, there is no doubt that a majority of business owners are affected. In particular, the F&B industry such as restaurants and cafes that are struggling to keep their business afloat. Check out below for what some restauranteurs feel about the CMCO!
Let’s Take A Look At How Our Local F&B Businesses Are Coping With The CMCO
Since the start of CMCO, many have been on the fence about dine-in being allowed, even if only two pax allowed per table. With that said, some restaurants have in fact self-imposed to have no dine-ins allowed at their premises until further notice. One of them being your favourite local burger joint – myBurgerLab.
“We’ve self imposed no dine-in for our outlets. Sales are surely affected. However, we need to do our civic duty and take care of our geeks after seeing the numbers fluctuate so quickly,” said Sasha from myBurgerLab. This goes to show that some restaurants are able to sustain themselves even without opening for dine-in. But, that is not the case for all eateries and some of them heavily rely on dine-in customers to make their profit. For instance, eateries like Shiok Kitchen have allowed dine-in with strict SOPs at their premises.
As most people are working from home and is advised to stay at home, it’s no doubt that some people will resort to food delivery. Even then, takeaways and deliveries have increased but it’s definitely not enough to keep the business afloat. “We’ve only seen a 10% increase in delivery sales since CMCO started. But earnings have definitely dropped at least 40% for the past week,” commented Terrence from Shiok Kitchen.
It is imperative for business owners to think of a new strategy or shift their goals to sustain their business and still make profit. For example, the main goal for myBurgerLab is to break-even at this point of time. “Business is at about 50% at the moment and we’re striving hard to continue to ensure that very one gets their pay and keep their jobs,” commented Sasha from myBurgerLab.
Meanwhile, eateries that have been established longer than newer restaurants seem to have a vantage point. “Our Puchong outlet of 12 years has quite a number of regulars coming in for a quick lunch/dinner, while our one-year-old Serdang outlet barely has 10 customers in a day,” mentioned Terence.
Being able to open for business at hard times and have fewer customers may be a blessing in disguise. Some small businesses and roadside stalls, like Aiskrim Pulut Abam Bisu have had to shut down during the CMCO. “My brother stays in Kota Damansara and with it being declared a red zone, it’s dangerous for him to continue his business,” said Sae, sister of Abam Bisu.
She continued, “even before CMCO started and the cases was increasing rapidly, we already saw a decrease in sales. We couldn’t even finish selling a whole tub of ice cream. The best would be half a tub and that’s it for the day.”
Now, even if eateries remain open and the law permits dine-in, this question also stands: do people generally feel safe enough to dine-in at this point in time? Our friends at Inside Scoop give us their thoughts on this, “I think customers generally feel safe to dine-in, although the time spent at our store are cut short. It is more of the safety of our team that we care about. When we are closed for dine-in, we can also minimize the number of staff in store and this helps reduce the risk as well,” mentioned one of their spokespersons.
Let’s Continue Supporting Our Local F&B Businesses The Best We Can
In the end of the day, we call for everyone to continue supporting their local businesses during this CMCO. Either it’s to dine-in (while adhering to SOPs) or to takeaway, every little gesture is surely appreciated by the uncles and aunties. As always, stay safe and stay vigilant. Bye for now!
This article is co-written with Amelia Thai.
Read: Students Fined For Selling Milk Tea From Their Car Boot Get A Helping Hand From Passersby
–
We would like to invite you to join our New Private Community Group! Here you are free to ask questions, share your love for food, and explore the Klang Valley community! We will also regularly post about casual promos and latest findings.
Click on the button below and hunt good food with us today!
