Coronavirus pummels Europe’s eateries as winter nears
NEW RESTRICTIONS LEAVE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY ACROSS THE CONTINENT GASPING FOR SURVIVAL
As the Friday night dinner service began earlier this month at the De Viering restaurant outside Brussels, it seemed the owners’ decision to move the operation into the spacious village church to comply with coronavirus rules was paying off. The reservation book was full and the kitchen was bustling.
And then Belgium’s prime minister ordered cafes, bars and restaurants to close for at least a month in the face of surging infections.
“It’s another shock, of course, because — yes, all the investments are made,” said chef Heidi Vanhasselt. She and her sommelier husband Christophe Claes had installed a kitchen and new toilets in the Saint Bernardus church in Heikruis, as well as committing to 10 months’ rent and pouring energy into creative solutions.
Second blow
Vanhasselt’s frustration is Europe’s as a resurgence of the virus is dealing a second blow to the continent’s restaurants, which already suffered under lockdowns in the spring. From Northern Ireland to the Netherlands, governments have shuttered eateries or severely curtailed how they operate.
More than just jobs and revenue are at stake — restaurants lie at the heart of European life.
This time, the closures are particularly painful because they might stretch into the Christmas season.
Restrictions opposed
Many restaurant owners have bristled at the new restrictions and some are openly challenging them.
In London last week, the preeminent chef Yotam Ottolenghi banged pots on the street to protest restrictions that include earlier closing times.
“It’s really hard, we’ve got a great industry with lots of heart,” Ottolenghi said.
If the mood of any nation is set by its stomach, surely France’s is. The streets of Paris and other French cities were eerily empty at night during the firstweek of a 9 pm curfew scheduled to last for at least a month.
Xavier Denamur, who owns five Parisian cafes and bistros that employ around 70 workers, said the French government is unfairly punishing the industry. “It’s a catastrophic measure,” he said, arguing any curfew should be pushed to at least 11 pm to allow for a proper dinner service.