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Out of work and tips, restaurant workers fighting the crisis alone
Mahmudul Hasan
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Thousands of restaurant workers in Dhaka and across the country are set to get no salaries for April as the shuttered establishments have either laid them off or sent them on leave without pay amid the coronavirus outbreak.
It is one of the first sectors in Bangladesh to get affected badly by the global health crisis, as the presence of customers has started thinning out since late February.
And the countrywide shutdown from March 26 to flatten the spread of coronavirus, whose presence was confirmed in Bangladesh on March 8, simply deflated them.
The correspondent visited the capital’s Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur and Jigatola areas on Saturday. The areas are home to about 800 restaurants, according to restaurant owners, and 99 per cent of them were bolted shut.
A handful was open for takeaway through Foodpanda, Uber Eats, Pathao Food and Shohoz Food.
For most of the restaurant staff, the coronavirus outbreak and the ensuing shutdown has been a cruel joke.
“I have no money to run my family. Now I have to rely on relief,” said a restaurant worker, who has been laid off recently.
The government has recently unveiled plans to transfer Tk 2,000 in cash each to about 40 lakh families whose breadwinners have lost jobs because of the shutdown. Hotel and restaurant workers are said to be among the would-be beneficiaries.
“I heard that the government will help restaurant workers. But we haven’t received any formal request from the authorities to hand over the list of workers,” said Rezaul Karim Sarker Robin, general secretary of the Bangladesh Restaurant Owner’s Association.
He urged the government to increase the allocation as well as draw up a list of employees in consultation with restaurant owners so that none is left out.
The number of food service establishment is estimated to be about 60,000, including hotel, restaurant and sweetmeat makers, where more than 15 lakh people are working, according to the association and the sector’s insiders.
In Dhaka alone, there are about 10,000 restaurants that employ about 3 lakh people, 90 per cent of which are now unemployed, according to Robin.
Although the owners are not able to provide salaries, many are buying them essentials like rice, lentil, oil and potato, he said.
Robin urged the government to take immediate steps to provide cash to those workers as Ramadan and Eid are approaching.
Ashfaq Rahman Asif, managing director of Tarka Restaurant, 128 East and Tehari Avenue, sees a grimmer outlook for the restaurant business in the coming months.
“The problem will not be solved very soon as safety concerns would continue to hurt the business,” he said, adding that with zero business, one can’t pay space rent, VAT and other service charges.
Tarka and Tehari Avenue are still open for takeaways and home delivery but since the beginning of April their frequency has nosedived despite taking all kinds of safety measures.
Many restaurant owners have demanded the government exempt them from paying utility bills and the 15 per cent VAT on rents.
However, leading global chain restaurants are open and has maintained their full roster of staff.
Seven KFC outlets in Dhaka, one each in Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar are open from 11 am to 4:30 pm and eight Pizza Hut outlets in Dhaka and one in Cox’s Bazar are open from 12 pm to 4:30 pm.
There is no dine-in service available at the outlets right now; only takeaway and home delivery.
The brands take orders through online platforms and direct calls and customers can pay through credit cards and the mobile financial service provider bKash.
All three outlets of another global pizza chain Domino’s in Dhanmondi, Uttara and Banani have been open from 10 am to 5 pm during the pandemic.
“Domino’s Pizza made its name by pioneering home delivery service across the globe. So, in this crisis moment, we are confident to serve the customers properly as we follow stringent food safety, hygiene protocol and own delivery system,” said Ahmed Rajeeb Samdani, managing director of Golden Harvest Group, which runs the Domino’s chain in Bangladesh.
The pizza chain now makes about 120 deliveries a day.