Prominent Hospitality Brand Call For Covid Rule Changes

Julie White, CEO, Hospitality NZ:

Most widely-recognised hospitality brands and businesses will get through this period, but they tell us the Omicron period is uniquely challenging.

Half the hospitality sector has seen a fall in revenue of over 40% under the Red settings. Half the sector thinks they will have to close venues within three months. This will worsen over the next few weeks as Omicron infection increases.

We call for resumption of the Wage Subsidy and the Resurgence Payment, and reduction of stand-down periods and ability to use RAT kits to manage staff and customer safety.

Paul Steiner, Operations Manager, Lone Star NZ :

Our brand and the strength and resilience of our Franchisees will get us through the year, but it is tough. We are also experiencing erratic revenues, on top of last year’s enormous challenges. It is the compounding nature of this situation that is a real challenge for all.

Business under Red settings and Omicron is being likened to Level 3 settings with the dining room doors open.

Our Guests feel the same. Their mindset has changed. They’re not optimistic. They’re very wary. Just one local Omicron case can stop multitudes of them going out. The usual patterns of our trade have been very disrupted this year.

We will navigate through the next two to three months like we have the last two years. But that will be too much for a great many of our industry peers without financial support in our sector to cover losses, and without loosening operational rules to help us all stay open. Empowering all businesses to deploy monitored Rat kits is a common-sense initiative to minimise business interruption which we support.

Many have already changed everything they can to continue in business from selling assets to bank borrowings to cover mounting costs. It is frustrating for everyone to have worked so hard in support of the Health response strategy, and still the end to restrictions isn’t coming.

Hospitality New Zealand National Call Centre 0800 500 503 | www.hospitality.org.nz

Hospitality New Zealand is Aotearoa’s leading nationwide hospitality industry association covering commercial accommodation and food and beverage businesses. It is a not-for-profit organisation that supports over 3,000 members. To find out more visit www.hospitality.org.nz, or connect on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
 

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