Where are the diners?
There is a trickle of diners returning to their ole’ jaunts but mostly regulars, which gives hope but not that much to feel the Covid menace was just a one off - a temporary fright right out of the blues, which was contained well within our shores within a few short months.
That analogy is nearly right… although not exactly so.
We are not in a position to close our shores to outsiders indefinitely and here lies the opportunity and the flaw in equal measure. There are no quarantine measures in existence today that are 100% fool proof, and as such the odd virus can slip in unawares and within a matter of days a whole lot of folks can get infected and before we know it we have a roving epidemic sending us into panic mode.
The exclusive single owner eateries are drying out and dying by the dozen and there are estimations that as much as 40 – 50 per cent such well-established, longstanding diners will be out of business within the metropolis area before the end of this year.
This situation of course can change overnight once we can produce a safe vaccine for Coronavirus. But as vaccines go, they take time to develop, get tested and provide sufficient proof of their worthiness for human consumption before being released to the world.
Once an establishment remains closed or becomes redundant business acumen takes over not to return to the same foray, but to find alternative ventures that are less affected by a similar deadly disturbance to our social life and our behaviour patterns.
Fine dining is exclusive and requires F&B expertise and that means a higher proportion of investment on personnel with such accreditation, beside the infrastructure and creating the right ambience and charm. Such establishments require a regular clientele bringing in more such sophisticated, discerning palates to try out their gourmet fare and hospitality.
However connoisseurs are the first to shy away when their life is in imminent danger, unless they are extra careful and the mere resurgence of Covid-19 will make them stay away from public places of all sorts of gatherings, including dining out for certain - the very reason why most individually owned, well-run, bon vivant properties will carry a big question mark in the future.
The 5-star properties which have their own specialty restaurants can afford to temporarily close down these units until such time the ‘new normalcy’ returns in terms of a significant increase of occupation numbers. Besides, a 24-hour Coffee Shop and room service, can provide a convenient stop-gap – with the advantage of having the infrastructure already in place, as commonly found in most of these chain hotels.
The entire gamut of the local hospitality trade needs a thorough revamp with rewrites on all the facets, taking into account that Covid-19 has changed the game plan enjoyed by the hospitality trade from a ‘sellers’ market to that of a nearly non-existent ‘buyer’s’ market.
The realization that this paradigm shift has taken place, and, that the change in the modus operandi must occur accordingly, along with immediate adjustments for long-term survival will be the new smart game , my friend.
KayJay pens, rhymes and paints whenever the mood kicks in and keeps him in his study. He also sends writings of others whose deliberations fascinate him and tickles his curiosity. However this does NOT necessarily mean these viewpoints are fully endorsed. KayJay can be reached via <arekesaya@gmail.com> at your peril and there’s no guarantee of a response or feedback either.
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