Image credit: Malay Mail
PETALING JAYA: The rapid rise in Covid-19 cases has hit dining-in hard, with restaurants and cafes reporting over half of their reservations being cancelled.
Despite people being allowed to travel and celebrate Chinese New Year, the eateries revealed that up to 60% of reservations were scrapped.
“These reservations involved mainly companies, associations, community groups and people who usually gather towards the end of the Chinese New Year period,” said Pan Malaysia Koo Soo Restaurants & Chefs Association president Wong Teu Hoon.
He said that although the Omicron variant is less deadly, many still prefer to stay safe.
Wong, who is also the Malaysia-Singapore Coffeeshop Proprietors Association president, said coffee shops continue to enjoy brisk business.
“People still go to coffee shops for their meals. They are mainly workers and families that still dine in or come to pack food. They often eat alone or in small numbers and don’t linger around after their meals,” he added.
Restaurant & Bistro Owners Association vice-president Jeremy Lim also said members feedback showed less dining-in since the start of February.
“The spike in new daily infections has affected the number of customers. Many are definitely more cautious about dining out,” he said.
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/02/14/more-opt-to-stay-in-than-dine-out