AMMAN — The restaurant sector seems to be
recovering after two years of pandemic, as restrictions were eased and people
are eager to socialize.
The just-ended holiday contributed to this recovery.
According to
Raed Hamada, representative of the restaurant sector at the Jordan
Chamber of Commerce, restaurant sales increased during the holiday period by 70
percent compared to last year, a growth that becomes less impressive, however,
when compared to the sales during Eid Al-Fitr, which were 30 percent higher.
اضافة اعلان
Eid Al-Adha usually witnesses family feasts and
gatherings, due to the sacrifices, he said, stressing that in 2020, the
catering sector suffered losses estimated at hundreds of millions of dinars. In
2021, the sector rebounded relatively well, sustaining minor losses.
Hamada said that the rise in the price of food items
led to an increase in prices at restaurants, stressing that the profit margin
had grown smaller, and this is reflected on the merchants, the restaurant
owners and the consumers.
Vegetable prices, such as that of chickpeas, a basic
ingredient in traditional restaurants, grew by 50 percent, he said, adding that
“we warned the government about these increases and asked it to form a higher
food council, but our request has not been answered to, so the prices have
risen more, leaving it to the restaurant owner to either cheat or close up and
lay off his employees”.
Each restaurant has an average of about 10
employees, he added.
“This is very
harmful to the economy and the consumer, and the decline in the quality of food
will give a bad reputation to Jordan, especially among visitors who care about
our heritage and Jordanian popular dishes,” Hamada said, adding that providing
quality food to visitors “is a priority”.
The head of the
Jordanian Union of Restaurant and Confectionery Proprietors, Omar Al-Awwad, told
Jordan News that
restaurant turnout during Eid Al-Adha was good, especially compared to the
years of the pandemic, yet the profit margin for restaurant owners is weak and
the larger profit goes to the merchants.
Anas Attiya, a restaurant owner, told
Jordan News that despite high prices restaurants have been witnessing a good turnout,
especially during the Eid period.
He also said that he there a difference in consumer culture
can be noticed, as people now tend to buy only the bare necessities.
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