Allow us to open on 'one table, one diner' basis, say coffee shop owners

Empty tables are seen at a coffee shop in Ipoh as customers are not allowed to dine in during the MCO period. Coffee shop owners, however, are urging the government to allow customers on a 'one table, one diner' basis.- RONNIE CHIN/The Star

PETALING JAYA: Coffee shop operators are urging the government to allow them to operate during the movement control order (MCO) period on the basis of 'one table, one diner'.

Malaysia Singapore Coffeeshop Proprietors' General Association president Datuk Ho Su Mong said tens of thousands of coffee shops have been affected very badly by the MCO, with some forced to fold.

He said coffee shop owners understood the need to extend the MCO, but would like to suggest that the government consider a new pattern to allow them to survive.

"As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the MCO, we, coffee shop owners, have to ponder how to make a change.

"We are appealing to the government to allow us to make this change so that the impact on all in the food and beverage industry would be reduced.

"We would like to advocate 'a table for one person' to dine in, or at the most for two, in order to keep to the social distancing regulation.

"We have to change the pattern of doing business if we want to survive.

"We fully support the government's move to extend the MCO to May 12 as the chain of the pandemic has to be seen to be broken otherwise it will cost the country a bomb.

"So instead of letting us be dictated to by Covid-19, we in the coffee shop industry have to find ways to make a transformation.

"We will write in to urge the government to allow our members to have this change, that is, 'one table for one customer' for dining in," said Ho.

The association says it has about 20,000 Malaysian coffee shop owners as members.