- 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 ch
- 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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