- Title: Restaurants in crises-weary Lebanon operate in "survival mode"
- Date: 1st April 2021
- Summary: ANTELIAS, LEBANON (MARCH 29, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF STREET, KNOWN AS "RESTAURANTS STREETS", IN ANTELIAS MILLENIA RESTAURANT OUTDOOR SPACE WITH EMPTY CHAIRS AND TABLES VARIOUS OF EMPTY CHAIRS AND TABLES MILLENIA RESTAURANT ENTRANCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MILLENNIA RESTAURANT OWNER, GHASSAN MAALOUF, SAYING: "We opened in 2018 and we're still working thinking things will change. We invested all our money, hoping the sector will get better. We love our country, we left the world to come to settle in our country and live here." EMPTY INDOOR HALL OF MILLENIA RESTAURANT VARIOUS OF LEBANESE FLAG ON THE BAR VARIOUS OF ALMOST-EMPTY FRIDGE WITH JUST A CAKE AND SOME FRUITS INSIDE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MILLENNIA RESTAURANT OWNER, GHASSAN MAALOUF, SAYING: "There are no clients. You can't open these days, hire chefs and 7-8 kitchen staff, and buy food, one day the dollar value is 10,000 (Lebanese pounds), then it becomes at 12,000 and 15,000 (Lebanese pounds); we would be buying (from the supplier), he makes us wait to get the price (referring to the black market exchange rate) to ask us at 12,000 - 13,000 or 15,000 (Lebanese pounds)." MORE OF MAALOUF'S RESTAURANT EMPTY GLASSES HANGING OVER THE BAR (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MILLENNIA RESTAURANT OWNER, GHASSAN MAALOUF, SAYING: "Maximum we survive for two months. We can still turn on the lights for another two months, to clean the dust for two more months… This is what we're going through, we are unable to jumpstart because they are not helping us. We are asking them for nothing, we are just asking them to let us, to give us room, to jumpstart and support us." DBAYEH, LEBNON (MARCH 30, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EMPTY CHAIRS AND TABLES AT BABEL RESTAURANT, PART OF AFKAR HOLDING BABEL RESTAURANT WAITERS STANDING, AS SEEN THROUGH GLASS VARIOUS OF PLATES AND GLASSES ON EMPTY TABLES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MARKETING AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGER OF AFKAR HOLDING OF RESTAURANTS, NASSIM GHARZEDDINE, SAYING: "I think, to be objective and tell you about the reality in the country, all restaurants that exist now are in survivor mode. They are not (there) to profit but just to live, to maintain the employees we have, and sustain these job opportunities we still have in the country. But nothing shows that we can grow." BEIRUT, LEBANON (MARCH 30, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WAITERS AT BEBAL RESTAURANT, PART OF AFKAR HOLDING PEOPLE SITTING AT RESTAURANT MORE OF WAITERS AND PEOPLE AT RESTAURANT ANTELIAS, LEBANON (MARCH 29, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EMPTY TABLES AT PROVINCIAL RESTAURANT VARIOUS OF A WAITER SPEAKING ON THE PHONE BEHIND THE BAR (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PROVINCIAL RESTAURANT MANAGER, TONY HARIK, SAYING: "The number of clients has definitely decreased, not everyone can afford to go out and pay money and those who come can't pay like before anyway. Sale went down by 60%." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING AT PROVINCIAL RESTAURANT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PROVINCIAL RESTAURANT MANAGER, TONY HARIK, SAYING: "Like all places and all sectors, we have definitely been affected a lot and are being now more and more affected now, on all levels: prices on the market, increase in clients, not everyone can go to restaurants. We are trying, as much as we can, to continue, just not to lose the market and keep standing. No one is thinking about profit now, but only to keep going." VARIOUS OF EMPTY CHAIRS AND TABLES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PROVINCIAL RESTAURANT MANAGER, TONY HARIK, SAYING: "This is Lebanon, it has always depended on this sector. Once the situation gets better, it will surely rise again. We depend a lot on ex-pats and foreigners so as long as they are not in the country, it's difficult to have a solution now." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING IN A DIFFERENT RESTAURANT BEIRUT, LEBANON (MARCH 30, 2021) (REUTERS) MAN PASSING PAST CLOSED RESTAURANT TABLES AND CHAIRS IN A CLOSED RESTAURANT, AS SEEN THROUGH GLASS CLOSED RESTAURANT FOR RENT SIGNS ON CLOSED PLACE THAT USED TO BE A RESTAURANT MORE OF CLOSED RESTAURANTS
- Embargoed: 15th April 2021 11:43
- Keywords: Lebanon coronavirus crisis economy restaurants
- Location: ANTELIAS, DBAYEH AND BEIRUT, LEBANON
- City: ANTELIAS, DBAYEH AND BEIRUT, LEBANON
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Middle East,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA001E6OYA8L
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:A once-buzzing street in Antelias, north of Beirut, is now often calm with restaurants almost empty or serving only a few people.
Ghassan Maalouf's restaurant hasn't seen clients for days. The 58-year-old Lebanese businessman immigrated to Canada in the late nineties. He came back to Lebanon in 2017 and invested his savings in 'Millennia' which he opened a year later.
But the country's financial meltdown and collapse of the Lebanese pound, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions, left him and many other restaurants reducing their hires and questioning if it is worth keeping their business open.
"We can still turn on the lights for another two months, to clean the dust for two more months," said Maalouf.
Lebanon has eased its coronavirus restrictions allowing restaurants to open again for the public for certain hours and at limited capacity starting March 22. But restaurant owners argue this is not enough to make a profit, and the economic crisis left them no room to "grow".
"I think, to be objective and tell you about the reality in the country, all restaurants that exist now are in survival mode. They are not (there) to profit but just to live, to maintain the employees we have and sustain these job opportunities we still have in the country," said Nassim Gharzeddine, the marketing and customer relationship manager of Afkar holdings, under which a number of restaurants exist including 'Babel', open since 2009.
In the past year and a half, Lebanon has been through a popular uprising against its political leaders, the bankruptcy of the state and banking system, a COVID-19 pandemic, and, in August, a huge blast that killed 200 people and destroyed parts of Beirut.
Still, Tony Harik, manager of 'Provincial' restaurant in Antelias - which was only serving few clients at lunchtime on Monday (March 29) is holding a glimpse of hope for the situation to get better.
Harik said sales went down by 60% but was looking forward to when ex-pats and foreigners come back to Lebanon to ease finding a solution.
"This is Lebanon, it has always depended on this sector," he added.
Lebanon's restaurants employ hundreds of thousands of men and women - and hundreds of outlets between restaurants, cafes, night-clubs, and pastries have closed their doors since 2019.
(Production: Alaa Kanaan, Ahmad al-Kerdi, Yara Abi Nader) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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