Restaurant owners seek urgent policy support to overcome 'deep crisis'

Restaurant operators on Sunday urged the government to take immediate policy measures to help the sector survive what they described as a 'deep crisis' caused by rising operational costs, regulatory complexities and weak consumer spending.
The Bangladesh Restaurant Owners' Association (BROA) placed an 11-point demand, including quick implementation of a one-stop service for the sector, expansion of the tax net while keeping VAT and tax rates at tolerable levels in the upcoming budget
They also called for quick resolution of the LPG crisis, and resumption of new pipeline gas connections.
They came up with the demands at a press conference held at the Shafiqul Kabir Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in the city's Segunbagicha area.
BROA Secretary General Imran Hassan, Vice President Sha Sultan Khokan, First Joint General Secretary Firoz Alam Sumon along with other office bearers were present at the press conference.
Addressing reporters, Mr Hassan said the restaurant sector has yet to fully recover from the impact of the pandemic. On the other hand, the conflict in the Middle East has further intensified global instability, directly affecting Bangladesh's energy sector.
"Due to the unchecked rise in commodity prices under the current market conditions, essential goods are gradually moving beyond the purchasing capacity of ordinary consumers," he said.
He further said the industry is now passing through a deep crisis because of escalating operational costs, declining customer turnout and overall economic uncertainty.
In this context, he said the newly elected government should take swift and effective measures to sustain the restaurant sector.
According to the association, the country's hospitality industry, which directly or indirectly employs nearly 3.0 million people, has been struggling to recover from the economic fallout of the pandemic amid soaring fuel and energy prices.
One entrepreneur in this sector currently needs approvals from nearly 10 different government agencies to start operations, a process that often takes more than six months.
BROA leaders also expressed concern over what they termed "uncoordinated" drives by different regulatory agencies, including RAJUK, the Fire Service and the Department of Environment.
Among other demands were measures to stop extortion by influential groups and permission for duty-free beef imports to help stabilise prices in the market.
The BROA also stressed the need for technical training programmes for unskilled workers to improve service quality and strengthen food safety compliance in line with international standards.
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