The restaurant sector in South Africa, which has been damaged by changing regulations often rapidly implemented over the past 18 months, is calling for an extension of the national curfew by one hour to enable restaurants to trade during the crucial dinner time period, says Restaurant Association of South Africa (Rasa) CEO Wendy Alberts.

"The hour extra trading before curfew, with restaurants being forced to stop trading at 21:00 to allow for compliance with the curfew of 22:00, will make a massive difference.

"Up to 70% of trade turnover is generated by dinner-time trade. Especially as we head into spring and good weather, our customers do not want to be rushed when they go out for a meal," she highlights.

The impact caused by the restrictions on the restaurant sector has caused significant hardships for business operators and employees, with many having to endure salary cuts, unpaid leave, uncertainty regarding income and stress.

The industry has sought relief from government, but has been largely ignored despite being a significant contributor to employment, she adds.

"A further threat is that we are not yet through the third wave and we will be challenged by a fourth wave, regardless of the progress of the vaccination campaign. We have no information that when a proportion of the population has been vaccinated, such as 60%, we will be allowed to trade.

"Additionally, the government departments we have worked with say the government is not in a position to even bring us out of the current lockdown level, never mind providing progressive relief from trading restrictions as the vaccination programme rolls out," she points out.

Alberts adds that the restrictions on restaurant trade have also had a significant impact on landlords and suppliers to the industry. Restaurants have had to reduce their footprints and ask for lease extensions, changes to leases and rental relief.

Simultaneously, restaurants are not buying stock in bulk owing to the risk posed by potential new trade restrictions and many small and specialist suppliers have seen their businesses impacted as a result of the regulations.

"[Rasa] is writing daily to the Department of Tourism. We are also calling for the development of a strategy and relief plan to bring at least some relief to the industry or technical proposals to save the rest of the industry. We have made proposals and consulted with the industry to get feedback on what is needed for us to trade," says Alberts.

While the restaurant sector is calling for its role in the economy and the challenges it faces to be acknowledged, the public have extended generous support. There have been instances of 30% to 40% tipping on the value of a bill and considerate behaviour of customers, and the industry remains well received by the public and patrons, she says.

The ability of businesses to trade is hampered by the fear and the constant threat to the industry of more regulations and restrictions. These have been countered by some restaurants through innovations, such as offering various culinary experiences and food pairings for customers in addition to take away and deliveries.

"From the association's point of view, we will continue to champion the industry and speak to political officers to have restrictions lifted and to the minister for financial relief, such as potential suspension of repayments to build up cash floats, provide some funding support to staff affected by the restriction and debt relief to keep the restaurants open that are on the brink of closing.

"We salute the tenacity, resilience and persistence of the people in our industry to keep their businesses open. The past 18 months have showed how resilient the industry had to become and the new skills that had to be developed to survive. Many people remain undaunted by the damage in the industry and are embracing their ability to change and remodel their businesses," Alberts says.