Health measures to negatively affect restaurants in commercial complexes

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KUWAIT CITY, Aug 20: Chairman of the Kuwait Union for Restaurants, Cafés and Catering Companies Fahad Jawad Al-Arbash said the restaurants received a huge turnout of customers on the first day of the fourth stage of returning to normalcy but the health requirement to leave about two meters of space between the tables would reduce their revenues by 60 percent, reports Al-Rai daily.

In a statement to the daily, Al-Arbash added the decision will reduce the profits of restaurants that are located inside the commercial complexes, where customers increase during summer, because the requirement of two meter spacing between chairs and tables will reduce their absorptive capacity; thus reducing profits, despite the complexes having resumed to take rents in full, which ranges between KD 50 and 60 per meter a month.

Al-Arbash pointed out that Kuwait Union for Restaurants, Cafés and Catering Companies provided a full explanation to the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition, which met earlier this week with the Municipality and the Ministry of Health concerning the health requirements for restaurants to use single-use (disposable) items. This means that demand will become heavy on them in the coming days and the requirement may not be feasible for the restaurants, he noted.

The union has explained the risks of using the disposable items for some hot foods, as they can generate carcinogens, differentiating items that are placed in the microwave oven, which the restaurants find expensive and won’t use them, he warned.

He said the authority has removed the requirement of using disposable items from restaurants having dishwashers and dryers to relieve pressure on them and reduce cost.

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