Restaurants and cafes are struggling to stay afloat because of the difficulty of complying with strict coronavirus restrictions, hospitality sector organisations have said.

Since June 1 food and drink outlets have been able to serve customers again, but with a limit of 30 people who must stay at their tables and stay 1.5 metres apart from other groups.

Many owners have struggled to turn a profit since reopening as a result of bad weather, restricted numbers and the prospect of heavy fines for breaking the rules. Businesses that fail to implement social distancing regulations can be penalised up to €4,000.

Arjan Bouter, owner of Café Bar ‘t Lempke in Eindhoven, closed his doors after a week because it was impossible to police the 1.5 metre rule.

‘The first thing you do as a business owner or employer is ask people to keep their distance. But as the evening wears on and once people have had a few beers it becomes much more difficult for customers,’ he said.

Expensive hobby

Herman Hell, who runs a chain of bars and pizza restaurants in Rotterdam, said it had become an ‘expensive hobby’ for many people in the trade. ‘

‘I know of colleagues who closed after a week because it was costing them money every day,’ he said. ‘We need to scrap the 1.5 metre rule, indoors and out. Stop this nonsense, the cure is worse than the disease.’

Dirk Beljaarts, director of hospitality industry organisation KHN, has called for the government to scrap rules banning people from mingling on outdoor terraces, but justice minister Ferd Grapperhaus has ruled out any further relaxation for the time being.

The maximum number of permitted customers is due to be increased to 100 from July 1 as long as there is no sustained increase in coronavirus cases, but the strict conditions will still apply.

Beljaarts said bar and restaurant owners who initially welcomed the lifting of the ban had found the new rules made it impossible to keep their establishments running.

‘In many cases people are losing more money when they open than when they stay closed,’ he said. ‘That’s been our experience as a sector since we reopened.

‘When the weather changed, the sentiment of catering business owners changed with it. Their concerns escalated. Many of our members have come to the conclusion, especially in the absence of outdoor seating and good weather, that staying open is unsustainable.’