The president of the Lithuanian Hotel and Restaurant Association (LVRA), Evalda Šiškauskienė, says that the home delivery and takeaway service provided by restaurants is rather a "social project", because restaurants faces a lack of customers, so it operates at a loss.
"As far as we talked with the restaurants, this is more of a social project, as they say with a smile, because those earnings are very small. Some get 200 euros, others 100 euros, and considering that the services of food delivery companies are very cheap, and there are not so many orders to sustain themselves, this kind of extra movement is 2 percent. from circulation.
In fact, it is more like a social project, so that the employees move, some kind of action takes place, but you really don't see big profits, because there are simply no people, no traffic. Everyone saves that money, a lot of things are made at home," E. Šiškauskienė told Elta.
"We haven't calculated the monthly income yet. They sell a lot of things. (…) But certainly not the sums that would survive. (…) We still need to pack, have special packages, vacuum seal everything, we need to take that food out," she added. According to the president of the association, restaurants may not have money for salaries as early as next month.
"It won't take long (home delivery of food - ELTA). Everyone hopes that maybe those measures will be a little more relaxed towards the middle of May or June, so that some kind of outdoor trade will start, because it is so long, I don't know what 2 months is the maximum... Those who put people on idle time will not have money to pay for the next month as well wages, because you contribute 10 or 30 percent of your share. restaurants certainly won't have it", said E. Šiškauskienė.
Quarantine In Lithuania, it has been extended until April 27. During the quarantine period, citizens of the country are prohibited from leaving the country, shops (except for food and pharmacies) and cafes are closed. Gatherings of people are also prohibited, educational institutions in the country are closed, residents are advised to work from home. If it is necessary to leave the house, it is necessary to wear masks or respirators or other protective equipment covering the nose and mouth.
Lukas Blekaitis (ELTA)
