Chef Levan Kobiashvili Asks the Government to Mediate with Banks for the Restaurant Business
Well-known chef Levan Kobiashvili advises the government to mediate with banks and provide even more real help. As Kobiashvili told Business Partner, globally, the HoReCa sector was hit hard around the world.
"People are losing their jobs, restaurants are closing because there are too many restrictions. I understand what an epidemic situation is, however, if the government won't promote the business, this field will die altogether. It will be very difficult to bring all this up, many restaurants will be closed and many restaurants will go bankrupt. Even now, on the Internet, there are many announcements on certain websites that the restaurant is for sale, ”said Levan Kobiashvili.
According to him, in the spring, when the government suspended all businesses due to the pandemic, restaurants got additional loans to resume operations, and today revenues do not allow them to pay theit loans.
"Now if the situation repeats itself and they still borrow money from banks, will they afford it? There is no income anymore. In the summer the terrace restaurants were open one way or another, no one entered the indoor space. Under the new regulations, if a restaurant had to accomodate 60 people, it's limited to 20, thus reducing revenue. Banks have postponed the payment of loans, but charge interest on it. If there is a promotion, can it be real and people no longer have to pay interest? "- says Levan Kobiashvili.
The brand chef also evaluates the decision made by the government to impose restrictions on restaurants after 22:00 and says that this regulation is not really right and justified. "I do not see the point of this restriction. Why does it matter what time a person will sit in a restaurant?,''-says Levan Kobiashvili.
The famous chef cites the example of Spain and says that it would be good if our country would share this experience. "For example, no club worked in Ibiza all summer. And there were restaurants that had a pretty good, lucrative season. This also helped prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Maybe it would be better for us to do the same during the summer. The clubs should not have been opened, only restaurants should have been open, ”said Levan Kobiashvili.