KUALA LUMPUR: Many restaurants in the country are teetering on the edge, unsure if they will be able to survive for much longer.
This follows the ban on dine-ins, enforced since Phase 1 of the National Recovery Plan began on June 1, which will continue until Covid-19 cases fall below 4,000 a day.
This lockdown has been particularly brutal for restaurants as pandemic-wary consumers have been very careful with their expenditure, resulting in paltry delivery and takeaway sales for many eateries.
"During the first MCO, people might have been in a better position financially, but going into the second year of this, consumers are more cautious with their ringgit and are definitely spending less on restaurant meals," says Renyi Chin, the co-founder of the Malaysian F&B Operators Alliance, which has over 1,200 restaurant members.