Sales nosedive for eateries, amusement parks deserted amid curfew

Highlights: 

• Eateries reported a 70-80% decline in sales
• Lack of mobile data service halted online food delivery
• Amusement parks saw a sharp drop in visitors
• People are avoiding outing due to uncertainty

 Eateries and amusement parks are struggling significantly due to the ongoing curfew imposed following the shutdown and violence from the quota reform protests.

Sales in eateries have dropped by 70-80%, and with no mobile internet, online food delivery has come to a standstill. Although some amusement parks partially reopened yesterday, they saw very few visitors.

Cookers 7 Restaurant, located beneath the Karwan Bazar Metro Station in the capital, usually attracts a crowd and offers online food delivery. However, after being closed for five days, it reopened last Tuesday but saw a significant drop in business.

Mohammed Kamal Uddin, owner of Cookers 7, told The Business Standard, “The construction of the metro rail had caused a significant loss to my business. However, after the metro started operating, business picked up again . 

“A portion of our sales is done online, but due to the lack of mobile internet connectivity, online orders are on hold. Physically, not many people are coming to the restaurant now. Overall, we’re seeing 15% of our normal sales.”

Other eateries are facing similar issues. Shahin Ahmed, manager of Tajmahal Restaurant in Malibagh Chowdhurypara, said, “There are very few people in the restaurant. Compared to normal times, only a quarter of the usual customers are coming today. There was a lot of trouble in this area, so people are still scared.”

Imran Hassan, secretary general of the Bangladesh Restaurant Owners Association, confirmed the widespread decline in sales, telling TBS, “Sales in eateries have decreased by almost 70-80%. Online sales have come to a standstill due to the lack of internet. 

“People are not going out due to the current situation in the country. Although eateries have started reopening, there are no customers. Compared to normal times, only 20-30% of sales are being made.”

He added, “We are having to go through one bad time after another. The situation in the country is tough right now. I hope peace will return soon.”

Recreational parks and facilities, typically crowded on Fridays, also saw a sharp decline in visitors. At Hatirjheel, Dhaka, a few people were seen wandering around, but the number was significantly less than usual.

Kazir Delowar Hossain, a visitor to Hatirjheel, shared, “I’ve been confined to my home for the last few days, living in fear. The overall situation in Dhaka was terrible. Since Hatirjheel is right next to my house, I came out just like that. However, there aren’t many people here. Those who are here probably live nearby, like me.”

Savar’s Nandan Park reopened yesterday after being closed for almost a week. Normally, around 400-500 people visit this park on a Friday, but until yesterday afternoon, only 20-30 visitors had come. 

Ashikur Rahman, head of marketing at Nandan Park, told TBS, “We are keeping the park open during the relaxation of the curfew. We will try to keep the park open following government guidelines. However, very few people are coming.”

Fantasy Kingdom, a sister concern of the Concord Group, also saw a sharp decline in visitors. On a typical Friday, the park in Savar usually sees around 3000-3500 visitors, but after reopening after almost a week, there were hardly any visitors.

Anup Kumar Sarker, executive director of Concord Group and chief coordinator of the Bangladesh Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, said, “We kept the park open from 11am to 4pm today. In total, there won’t even be 100 people. We rely heavily on Fridays. Since the government has regulations now, we closed it by 4pm. 

“The park was closed for almost seven days, and during this time, we had to bear the expenses of employee salaries, electricity bills, and many others. The current number of visitors is much lower than our maintenance costs.”