RESTAURANT owners want the government to allow them to extend their operating hours now that more restrictions have been eased, including permission for interstate and international travels.

They said they should be allowed to operate round the clock, just like how it was before the interruptions caused by the Covid-19 epidemic.

Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association (Primas) president J. Suresh said this will help them recoup their losses suffered due to the lockdowns.

“We will welcome the decision if the government allows restaurants to operate 24 hours a day,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“Of course, not all Indian restaurants operate 24 hours, but if the government allows, then there are a few that are willing to operate round the clock.”

Last month, Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said restaurants and eateries were allowed to operate from 6am to midnight for all phases of the national recovery plan, except for areas placed under the enhanced movement-control order.

Beginning yesterday, all states and territories in the country are either in phase 3 or 4.

This has also allowed the government to allow highway rest areas to operate 24 hours a day.

Given these relaxations, Suresh said extending the operating hours of restaurants is not a major request.

Shortage of manpower

For Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) president Jawahar Ali Taib Khan, however, it is not an ideal situation at present to open eateries round the clock.

This is because the restaurants are facing a huge manpower shortage.

Although he would prefer the 24-hour operating hours, Jawahar said the restaurants will find it difficult to operate the hours without sufficient workers.

“Previously, we had foreign workers. So, we could operate 24 hours.

“But now, restaurants severely lack workers. So, I don’t think we can cope if we operate round the clock,” he said.

Jawahar said it is never easy to find local workers to work at restaurants, especially mamak eateries despite offering good wages.

He said Malaysians preferred to join reputable food and beverage joints.

“We have put up banners at our restaurants and spread the message around, but still Malaysians are not coming forward,” he said.

“They prefer to work in places like McDonalds and other well-known F&B outlets.

“The small number of local workers we get now are the elderly ones, above the age of 50 years old, because they also want some earnings during these difficult times. But because of their age, we can’t give them heavy tasks.

“So, all this is making things difficult for us and I don’t think it is possible for us to manage 24-hour operations.”

Jawahar, however, said restaurants have the manpower and want to operate 24 hours could do so, if the government approves, as he said the association has no restrictions on that matter.

He said out of some 12,500 members in Presma, about 2,000 have wound up their business due to losses and a lack of manpower.

Make it till 2am

Sri Paandi Brickfields owner Kumar Alargarsamy echoed Jawahar’s views and said he might not operate his restaurant beyond midnight currently due to shortage of workers.

“When we open for 24 hours, we might have customers but at the same time, we might not have workers to serve them. This might become an issue, he said.

“So, we want to avoid all this. As of now, with the workers we have, I was even thinking of closing the shop at 10pm.”

Kumar said they will definitely operate round the clock if they have workers.

“We started our business here in 1984 and in 1993, we made it a 24-hour restaurant.

“We never had any manpower issues then, but we are just facing these issues now,” he said, adding that he hoped the worker shortage could be resolved soon.

Nasi Kandar Penang Town owner Shaik Fazrin also admitted to having manpower issues at his restaurant.

However, he called on the government to extend the operation hours until 2am, if it is not willing to extend it to 24 hours.

“We still have rent and salaries, among others, to pay. So, even extending the operation hours by two hours is something better than nothing,” he said.

“Now that there are late-night football matches over the weekend, that could also bring in the customers as well.” – October 19, 2021.