How did the Coronavirus pandemic cause a crisis in the restaurant sector and what are the things that we do not hear about it from the Bulgarian media?

The date was March 13, and the Bulgarian government had just voted in favor of the legislation for putting the country in a state of emergency, caused by the 31 COVID-19 positive tests. (Worldometer, 2020) Based on the Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s words — the enforced restrictions were put in place to ensure that the Bulgarian population is protected by the “undisciplined transmitters of the virus”. (Indzhova, 2020) Regardless of whether that was a well measured and planned decision in favor of the population, this date marked the beginning of a countrywide crisis, the effect of which may even last for decades after the end of the pandemic.

What is the issue?

Through all of the decisions that were taken by the Bulgarian government, there was only one sector that suffered devastating economic damage not only due to the lack of tourists but also because it was heavily regulated. Restaurants across the country were put, and still are, on the edge of their survivability, as they were allowed to work at a fraction of their capacity for a short period of time in between the two states of emergency. Whilst hundreds of small family-owned restaurants are bankrupting, the major media outlets are neglecting the reality caused by the decisions of the ruling parties, and the government describes these actions as precautionary, even though big marketplaces and supermarkets are still crowded, and no safety measures and guidelines are being followed.

How did it all start?

After the end of the first state of emergency, the effects of it were visible, yet many businesses managed to persevere and not file for bankruptcy, with the hospitality industry taking one of the greatest financial hits. Even though some of the businesses in the industry were facing an immense decrease in revenue due to the circumstances, restaurants were forced to shut down completely for nearly two months — from March 27 until June 1. After this period, they were briefly allowed to work in a very limited capacity, thus managing to preserve a fraction of their normal income generation.

What now?

Fast-forward to today, the second state of emergency is a reality, and after the few months that people have been able to enjoy some “freedom”, the noticeable spike of infected people has put Bulgaria in one of the leading positions for active cases. However, the ultimate decision from the government was to close down only a fraction of businesses, whilst keeping others open, regardless that the ways they operate are of great similarity. For example, restaurants and cafés were shut down, whilst clothing stores, drugstores, and supermarkets are open. Supporters of the idea for shutting down the majority of the hospitality industry are encouraging the seizing of operations of businesses like bars and night clubs, wherein the latter one no regulations are being followed as people tend to generally be more incautious.

What about the media?

Currently, the major media outlets have not taken into consideration many, if not any, of the negative feedback from the restaurant industry, even though there is a great outrage. The main issue that arises between the current circumstances and the public is mainly focused on the operation of night clubs and bars, as they have been considered as the core problem when it comes to the spread of the virus. This is a reasonable concern that had been taken into consideration by the law-makers, however, the restaurant industry has been dragged into the eye of the storm alongside the problematic entities.

When it comes to restaurants, the regulations implied were one of the strictest ones, and numerous media-run investigations took place in the past eight months, combined with daily and weekly checks by government officials, police, and the health-regulation services. All of the health-guidelines were followed strictly, as the majority of restaurants in Bulgaria are not a part of any corporation chains and depend only on themselves in order to provide, survive, and sustain.

When it comes to media coverage on the topic of how the lockdown affects the restaurant business, there is a major lack of information and content. After a quick search, the only results that are visible to the wide public come from small, independent media sources. For example, when researching the database of Nova TV and BTV (the two biggest Bulgarian media channels), there is no specific coverage on the topic. However, media outlets as BgOnAir, Dnes, and DarikNews have published numerous interviews with people from the restaurant industry, where there is one main objection as per the words of Richard Alibegov — the Chairman of the Food Establishments Association in Bulgaria.

We have been following all of the restrictions in the most detail and we had to even ask guests to leave that were not complying. This hurt our reputation and our clientele but we were fine with having to do this, as the most important thing right now is for everyone to be healthy, and for us to keep on working. There is not a single “hearth” of infection in any restaurant in Bulgaria. (Bratanova, 2020)

In summary, Alibegov lays out the argument that it is important to focus on all of the aspects of a given issue, and not take action based on generalized information and outlooks.

What happens when the media neglects this issue?

The ambition of the government to keep the restaurants closed means that there will be a huge negative impact not only on the business itself but also on everyone engaged in it. Cafés and food places are entities that hire mostly unskilled workers and are a “home” for hundreds of thousands of Bulgarian citizens. With every regulation that affects this sector, a great majority of people are destined to become unemployed, thus leading to less spending capabilities and a decrease in the country’s GDP. After talking to a family that owns a small restaurant, they shared:

We have been running our restaurant for the past two years, and have had just 7 tables available since we opened, as we are limited in space. We built a stable good customer base — people that enjoy being here, and people that we enjoy having here. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been faced with one of the greatest challenges — how to keep our business alive. People want to come and enjoy our food, and we want to provide them with the same service that we have been providing them prior to the whole situation. They shut us down once, and now, as we are expecting to close us again, we are worried about how we are going to get through this. We sold our apartment in Sofia, put a mortgage on our house, and moved to the village, as that is the only place we can reside right now. There were four restaurants in a 200 meters radius around us, and now all of them are out of business. — Anonymous restaurant owners

What can we learn from all this?

The Pandemic brought many people to their knees — financially and mentally. It is a difficult time, and no one knows for how long it will last. Yet, the coin must be viewed from both sides for everyone to find a piece of hope and to ultimately, save the economy from one of the greatest recessions known to Bulgaria. Media is one of the most influential and powerful tools known to our country, as statistics show that more than 80% of the people watch the news daily, and if it is guided in the right way, and informs the public on things that are not that visible, maybe the years after the COVID-19 crisis will not be as harsh as one would expect.