Caterers Need Help In Lean Times: Tommy Cheung

Catering sector lawmaker and executive councillor Tommy Cheung on Saturday urged landlords to cut rents or allow for delays in rental payments to help caterers whose businesses have been hit by months of anti-government protests.

Cheung says sales for many restaurants fell more than 30 percent year-on-year in September, and it's getting worse.

He says while the government has rolled out relief measures to help the sector, he hopes more can be done, comparing it to the help needed during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) outbreak in 2003.

Some commentators have warned that the current downturn after four months of protests is worse than Sars.

A representative from an association of catering professionals said on Wednesday that the protests have hit restaurants, prompting a wave of closures.

The first vice-chairman of the Institution of Dining Art, Henry Ma, said around a hundred restaurants have closed over the past month, putting around 2,000 people out of work.

Last month, the government unveiled measures worth more than HK$300 million to provide relief to travel agencies and tour guides.

The Carrie Lam administration in August announced HK$19 billion worth of sweeteners and waivers covering a wide section of society.