PAPHOS RESTAURANTS FEAR EARLY CURFEW WILL SCUPPER BUSINESS

 Cyprus Mail 25 October 2020 - by Bejay Browne

All restaurants have to be closed by 10.30pm

Decreeing that restaurants be closed by 10.30pm is almost tantamount to closing them down completely, Paphos eateries have told the Sunday Mail.

They say that the notoriously late-eating Cypriots are unlikely to change their habits and dine early, and they cannot even rely on the equally notoriously earlier-eating British expats. The latter, they say, tend to embrace local practices the longer they live here, and there are no British tourists to speak of.

“Telling us to close at 10.30pm makes no sense at all and Cypriots as well as others living here in Cyprus go out to eat later as they finish work and are not home until 7pm. So by the time they go out to eat, it’s not enough time to enjoy a meal and leave before 10.30pm,” the president of the federation of restaurant/leisure owners Fitos Thrasyvoulou, told the Sunday Mail on Friday.

He added that restaurants and eateries will find it impossible to stay open under such conditions and instead will be requesting an extension in hours until 12 midnight, or face closure.

An 11pm curfew is currently in force the Limassol and Paphos districts and will remain in place until November 9, according to the decree in force since Friday.

Restaurants, bars, cafes and eateries, including those within hotels, must close by 10.30pm, although they can deliver after this hour. It seems that there is little hope of Cypriots, that tend to eat dinner after 9pm, of dining out earlier

“We are not talking about tourists, and there are very few of those, we are referring to locals. No-one at the moment is really going out to eat early. People say that British people do that, but it all depends on the person and there aren’t really any tourists here from the UK anyway,” Thrasyvoulou said.

Duomo Italian restaurant, a popular and established eatery in Paphos, said that many of their customers prefer to eat around 9pm or 10pm and the new decree is bound to adversely affect business, as most people won’t want to eat out earlier.

“I have seen the bookings and although some people, including Cypriots, are booking earlier, it’s just a few. Younger customers of all ages prefer to eat later as they often go out for drinks afterwards,” manager Andreas Christofis said.

He added that only some of the British residents choose to eat at 7pm and they are all of the ‘older age group’. He added that British tourists eat at all different times, but that they number very few this year.

He explained that at 10.15pm staff will hand the bills to the tables and that all customers must have left the premises by 10.30pm.

“If the police see any customers inside after this time, we will get a big fine and no-one will chance that,” he said.

Paphos resident, Philippos, in his 40s, owns a business and has two children. He eats out regularly with his family and believes the new restrictions will affect both Cypriot and foreign residents equally, as residents in Paphos, especially the British he said, embrace local life, culture and practices.

“This won’t make Cypriots more like the Brits that are believed to eat dinner early in the evening. British residents, especially those that have lived here for a while eat later, like us,” he told the Sunday Mail.

He added that the new restrictions wouldn’t change his eating habits or make him venture out earlier, but due to the increasing number of positive Covid-19 cases over the last few days, he prefers not to go out for dinner at all. Instead, his family are opting to eat at home.

Antonis, of Greek origin, has lived in Paphos for 16 years, and likes to eat out, ‘a lot’ with his Cypriot fiance, she prefers to have dinner around 7.30pm to 8pm, whereas, he prefers to eat after 9pm.

However, the new restrictions and an increase in cases of coronavirus mean the couple are ordering home deliveries of food instead of venturing out.

“The trend in eating habits will only become apparent after a week or so I think, but I would be surprised if people here go out earlier,” he said.

“They probably just won’t go out at all.”