Lebanese restaurants lament the summer of 2023…the war stole everything

Thus, summer brought down profits that were not expected to be achieved. Indeed, this season’s profits continued to increase day after day to record exceptional numbers until the September season, which is already known as the recession season, and instead of profits declining by 50%, the decrease was recorded only 30%. %, and this season is considered a precedent to which Lebanon has not been accustomed for a long time, especially since during this month most tourists and expatriates have returned to their country to resume their work.

All these achievements, in less than a week, were undermined by the sounds of cannons and missiles. The war, whose echoes could be heard from Gaza, cast its shadow over Lebanon, and destroyed an ideal start for the tourism sector after it had entered a deep slumber.

One of the most important sectors affected in this field is the restaurant sector. The backbone of Lebanese tourism. The Lebanese cuisine, which annually exports Lebanese food abroad to the most important and finest international restaurants, is now suffering inside Lebanon, with 50% of establishments closing their doors. According to figures obtained by “Lebanon 24”, out of 8,500 establishments and restaurants ( 300 of them opened their doors for the first time last summer) Nearly 4,000 establishments have closed their doors today, and this naturally means eliminating tens of thousands of job opportunities, as the numbers indicate that approximately 210,000 workers were working inside restaurants and bars only (45,000 of them A seasonal worker and 165,000 permanent workers registered with the guarantee), this is in addition, of course, to the other teams that manage restaurants, such as accountants, maintenance, and lighting, electrical, and theater workers if the restaurant offers artistic programs, and many other dozens of job opportunities, added to the number of workers inside. Restaurants.

Today, with the various holidays meeting at approximately the same time, restaurant owners hoped to compensate for the losses they incurred during the recent war, but the plans were in vain, and what they had relied on was lost.

In this context, Khaled Nozha, Vice President of the Restaurants, Nightclubs and Patisseries Syndicate in Lebanon, confirms that the situation is different between the reality of restaurants today and what they witnessed during the summer.

Nazha said during a call via “Lebanon 24” that “the restaurant sector in Lebanon is considered an important economic base, through which hard currency was attracted, in addition to the consumption of large quantities of food products that are manufactured locally, whether vegetables or fruits, or even olive oil, and others.” a lot”.

Nezha confirms that the war eliminated all achievements, but the sector is still fighting, relying on the next day after the war, noting that the decline in the number of tourists and the decline in the purchasing power of the Lebanese citizen doubled the crisis… This is in addition to the fear of the expatriate or tourist of not His ability to leave Lebanon in the event that the war breaks out and expands to include all of Lebanon, without being limited to specific fronts.”

But what about the condition of restaurants during Ramadan?
Contrary to what was expected, the Vice President of the Restaurants, Nightclubs and Patisseries Syndicate in Lebanon, Khaled Nozha, indicated to “Lebanon 24” that the movement decreased significantly during iftars, and from here he points out that the gatherings and invitations that were held by bank departments and the boards of directors of various companies in… Lebanon for its employees has been missed by restaurants this year.

However, Nuzha confirms the other side, that the Suhoor period witnesses remarkable movement in specific places, and the matter is limited only to the hookah, coffee or tea, and sweets. In parallel, this matter is attributed to the significant decline in the purchasing power of the citizen, who had already lost his money in banks, in addition to the rise in the operating cost of restaurants, and the accompanying exceptional events such as Corona, the October 17 revolution, and the port explosion, all of which cast their shadows in succession..

So what awaits Lebanon?
Nuzha confirms that only one thing will help in the condition of more than 200,000 workers in this sector: stopping the war today before tomorrow, as he confirms that the holiday period will not be a “rehearsal” for the summer period, because the continuation of the war would destroy an entire season, especially since The majority are waiting for it to compensate for the losses of the winter season and the holiday seasons, as neither the ski season has covered the losses, nor have the holidays been able to attract expatriates and tourists. Today, the eye is focused on the last hope, which is the “summer season.” For example, there are 450,000 Lebanese in the Arab countries. And 250,000 Lebanese in African countries, and they alone are capable of reviving the economy and starting again.

Nezha stresses that today this sector is trying to survive with the available capabilities, but what is only required is security and security, especially since the Restaurant Syndicate was able to do a tremendous job by reviving the largest part of the vital points in downtown Beirut, and in various other regions, through many plans and strategies. A well-thought-out approach restored life to areas that were more like non-existent areas. Today, despite the state the country is going through, they are considered active places, capable of making a difference once the security condition is met. The most prominent example of this is the Mar Mikhael area, which witnessed catastrophic damage following the port explosion. The union was able to revive all kinds of cafes, snack bars, and patisseries, and the matter was not limited, of course, to restaurants only.

How did it affect other sectors?
As is known, the tourist season, whether during the summer or winter, or even the holiday season, is considered one chain interconnected with each other, and therefore the matter has had a negative impact on the rest of the sectors.

For example, figures obtained by “Lebanon 24” showed that approximately 700 cars were occupied out of more than 7,900 cars offered for rent, in other words, less than 10% of the cars are operating in all of Lebanon.

As for the guest houses that witnessed their most important and largest season during the past year, they are currently operating at only 13 to 15%, and the matter tends to be more dark inside hotels, as their occupancy rate did not exceed 5% and reached 10%, and in some… The areas recorded literally 0%, and this practically explains the reason for the dismissal of employees who were working inside the hotels.