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Whilst restaurants have been allowed to open for sit-down patrons, some establishments have chosen to keep their doors closed.

Why? Well, when you consider that as much as 70% of a restaurant’s profits can come from the sale of alcohol, opening up whilst they are not allowed to sell to customers means some will be operating at a loss.

After three months with the doors shuttered, that’s a luxury many just cannot afford, which is why an organisation called the Restaurant Collective (RIC) has proposed a solution that takes the safety of the patrons into consideration, along with the industry’s need to keep the lights on.

Whether or not the government pays that proposal any attention remains to be seen, but some restaurants aren’t prepared to wait around and find out.

A group of restaurants, led by Cape Town-based Chefs Warehouse, filed papers yesterday aimed at forcing the government to allow their patrons to drink alcohol with their meals, asking that the matter be heard as soon as Tuesday morning.

TimesLIVE reports:

According to the group, opening up the industry to sell food but not alcoholic beverages is like telling a swimming instructor she can reopen her business but her learners are not allowed to swim in the pool.

The group wants “all restaurants in possession of a valid liquor licence” to be allowed to serve booze with meals to their patrons on-site, subject to the conditions of their liquor licence and all other applicable laws.

They also want “the social distancing prescribed requirement of 1.5m between all patrons in the restaurant … declared to specifically exclude patrons voluntarily deciding to sit at the same table, sharing it”, according to the founding affidavit.

Given how aggressively Bheki Cele has railed against alcohol since sales were once again allowed, I reckon this could be an uphill battle.

The group says the current regulations in place make it “impossible for restaurants to actually open and trade in a manner where they can expect to survive financially”, adding that they make the experience of going out for dinner “absurd and unpleasant”.

As if she didn’t have her hands full already, with a litany of cases brought against her and rumours of a cabinet reshuffle looking large, Cogta minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is named in the papers, as its her ministry that is responsible for the regulations in place.

For those who do head out to a restaurant for a sit-down meal, just remember the extreme strain each establishment is already under, just trying to stay afloat, before being overly critical.

Much like all of us, they’re trying to figure out a way to make the dreaded ‘new normal’ work, so if something does go wrong, consider talking privately with the manager or staff members before taking to social media.

Also, bear in mind that many restaurants can still sell alcohol for off-site consumption, so consider purchasing certain items through them (even if the price is a touch higher) rather than a huge retail outlet.

Court battles may or may not save the industry, but us patrons can at least play our parts, too.

[source:timeslive]