Restaurant operators plan to relocate

MATANIKILAGI Restaurant in Korovou Town is set to close its operations tomorrow and relocate their business to another location.

According to Sai Rokotale who has been helping her younger sister run this business everything was fine before COVID-19.

“Before COVID everything was going well but after the COVID it seems like everything has dropped,” she said.

“The big change happened after the COVID, less people coming in especially for food.

“The prices were also going up very quickly and we are just looking for where we can buy things in the normal price which we could afford.”

She said this made running the business a little difficult as the expenses were gradually rising.

The rent before COVID-19 was about $685 however it came down to $555 when the pandemic hit.

“We still manage to pay the rent and bills such as electricity and water bills.

“Now mostly 20 people, sometimes its slack, sometimes it's all right.”

She said their revenue would increase whenever the civil servants get paid however it also depended on the dishes they cooked as the more meals they cooked the more they would earn during these busy periods.

The restaurant employs two people including Ms Rokotale and serves sui (meat bone), rourou with mutton, fish lolo, fried fish or fish with miti and sometimes chopsuey or chicken in sauce.

Ms Rokotale said when the price for the ingredients would increase then they had to increase the prices of their meals as well.

She had been running the restaurant for six years and said she felt sad that she had to leave as they knew everyone in the neighbouring businesses.

“It's a pity because we don't want to move even I know everybody around here.”

She said business, even though it was slow, was fairly good for them as they had more customers coming in to their restaurant.

“At the moment I think we have more customers coming in to our restaurant.

“I have asked my neighbours and they have said more people seemed to be coming to our restaurant.

“It's because I am serving Fijian food, most people from Ba, the Indo-Fijians come right here to eat fish lolo.”

They were still looking for an outlet to move into, as the only talks they had according to Ms Rokotale was to move all the way to Nausori.