January 25, 2022
Covid takes a toll on hospitality
The Māori woman fronting New Zealand’s multi-million dollar hospitality industry says the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is taking its toll on the country’s restaurants and food outlets.
Restaurant Association Chief Executive Marisa Bidois says the Omicron-inspired shift to red-level restrictions is yet another setback for the sector.
“I think that’s one of the things that our businesses are struggling with at the moment is just that uncertainty,” Bidois told Paakiwaha host Dale Husband.
“It’s really difficult to plan and who knows how long it’s going to go on.
“And then when we think back, we sort of started this journey in 2020 and now we’re in 2022 – it’s definitely taking its toll on our businesses, unfortunately.”
Bidois says the fact that hospitality businesses are taking every measure possible to keep their customers safe is one way they’re trying to reassure the public to overcome ‘diner hesitancy’.