Restaurants align to seek government rescue plan
The Government is being urged to effectively save restaurants by covering their rent payments and fixed costs, easing their debt burden and extending the duration of existing employment support schemes.
Save Our Restaurant Coalition – a new group comprising restaurant professionals – will present its plan to the Government in the coming days in a bid to avoid thousands of business closures and anything up to 80,000 job losses due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.
The body wants rental cover to equate to the percentage of lost sales per business.
Camile Thai owner Brody Sweeney said that while such a plan may cost the Government a fortune, not doing anything and letting thousands of restaurants go out of business would cost a fortune too; through the loss of Vat, employee taxes, and increased social welfare payments.
Boojum owner David Maxwell said it may take two years for restaurant trade to return to normal.
Meanwhile, a retail industry body has warned that the economy will not recover if the Government does not tackle commercial property costs.
Retail Excellence Ireland – which has already threatened to sue insurance firms refusing to pay out to shop owners over Covid-19-related business disruption – wants the rent burden for retailers to be eased through a mix of discounts and government grants.
