By: Nyima Sillah
Several Restaurant Managers expressed Dissatisfaction over Covid-19 Government Relief Package support and the overdue lockdown period of the restaurants and bars across the country following the imposed State of Public Emergency.
In an interview with Ali Ghamloush know as Ali Baba, Proprietor of Ali Baba Restaurant in Brusubi explained that they were told to fill a form two months back. This he called a zero benefit because they didn’t call none of his staff and he never received anything that will support his business or staff.
“I’m just hearing in town that they are calling some people but I don’t know how it works because I did what I suppose to do and none of my staff is call”, he said.
He noted that he’s one of the few from Lebanon whose staff are all Gambians and since Covid-19 started he has been paying his staff from his pocket and even those on break he sometimes gave them something for up-keep.
“We have been surviving but it’s hard because I even kept some money to renovate my restaurant for the high season but now I have been using that money to survive. Now I have to take credit to do small renovations, pay my staff from that money because we experienced zero income for the past months”
According to him, they have not been paying tax and Brikama Area Council sent their officials to them before but during the curfew he (Ghamloush) said he told them that business is not working so he don’t have money to pay till after all relaxations.
On his own, Momodou Camara, Manager Broad Way Restaurant narrated that he heard about the relief fund but has never received anything from any institution and has not been contacted by anyone so far.
He added that “the restrictions and measures government has imposed on restaurants have really affected us and it’s a great lost for the entire business because next year I have to pay $7000 despite the low income.”
Driss Bensouda, Proprietor Butchers said “We are hardly coping for the past six months and I have not seen the sign of us open till October. We cannot sustain it any longer this is the limit of our Sustainability we had six months without revenue”, he said.
“We need to open because the market has opened and thousands of people go to the market every day. We are responsibly members of the business community we are careful about our health”
He disclosed that “Restaurants, bars and night clubs owners employed at least ten thousand people so we are significant and we still have not been told on how they plan to get us into business and what support we will get after Covid-19.”
Manager of Grand Door, Lamin Daffeh, also said only five percent of his staff has benefited from the relief package and most of those that benefited were the ones using Africell lines. He said “D2500 was not enough because someone sitting for seven months and given a compensation of D2500 which is not even up to their salary is unbearable.”
His question to the government is that with the one cash off given to staff what about the restaurant owners that should pay their annual rent and tax.
