Bars, cafes face gloomy trade during Idul Fitri holidays
JAKARTA (JP): Most the capital's noted bars, cafes and restaurants, including those in five-star hotels, are projected to record a drastic downturn of between 25 percent to 50 percent in sales during the Idul Fitri holidays from last year's figures, their managers have said.
Contacted separately on Friday and Saturday, the managers said that this drastic downturn would be caused mainly by the impact of the prolonged economic crisis.
The gloomy projection would be worsened by Governor Sutiyoso's recent circular forbidding any live entertainment at entertainment spots, including cafes, bars, pubs, restaurants and discotheques, on Jan. 18 to Jan. 20.
"Live entertainment of the kind we have in B.A.T.S. bar and restaurant picks up a huge clientele. Since it is forbidden, we are bound to lose customers," said Romy Herlambang, public relations manager of the Shangri-La Hotel which houses the B.A.T.S. bar and restaurant.
Chandra Wati, public relations manager of the Crowne Plaza, said that the number of people dining at her hotel's coffee shop during Idul Fitri was expected to reach only half of last year's figure of about 200.
"The hotel has offered special prices for lunches, dinners and buffets. But who will care even though their housemaids have left for their hometowns?" Chandra asked.
"We feel people will stay home, stock up on food and cook."
Dewi Widyanti, a manager of the Hilton Hotel International, said that 2,000 dined at the hotel in the Idul Fitri holidays last year and she expected no increase this year.
The Hard Rock Cafe, according to its assistant general manager Yoris Sebastian, will close on Jan. 19, the first day of the Idul Fitri holidays, but will remain open on Jan. 18, Jan. 20 and Jan. 21.
Yoris said that the cafe, famous for its excellent live music performances, was expecting a major downturn from its sales about a week ahead Idul Fitri and will hold no performances on Jan. 20.
"About 50 percent of the cafe staff are off on their holidays. We don't expect much on Idul Fitri. We are not serving alcohol either on Jan. 20."
Fashion Cafe will open on both days of Idul Fitri, but will neither serve alcohol nor hold any live performances.
The cafe's operations manager Erwin Effendi said that the situation during Idul Fitri was usually unpredictable.
"As in previous years, we will have people calling up, asking if the cafe is open or not. So, the cafe may be full or have no customers at all. We are not expecting anything," Erwin said.
Andy Ryan, general manager of Planet Hollywood Jakarta, echoed Erwin's remark, saying that business will be "as usual" on the Idul Fitri holidays, but the restaurant will neither serve alcohol nor hold any live performances.
Hotels
In the case of five-star hotels, special room packages to lure more guests during the season of slow business, and cakes in their pastry shops are expected to override the gloom on dining tables.
Offers are being made as well to boost the sagging hotel business during the remaining few days to Idul Fitri, which has to date failed to make a difference to city residents and expatriates.
Chandra said that on Friday, just four days before Idul Fitri, the occupancy of the 190-room Crowne Plaza reached 32 percent.
"This was down from the 45 percent occupancy in the corresponding period last year. We do have 38 reservations on hand now for Idul Fitri... nothing is for sure yet," Chandra said.
She added that at Rp 520,000 (US$69.33), plus service tax, the hotel was offering Indonesians and foreigners holding limited stay permits (KIM-S) a deluxe room, breakfast for two, late checkout time at 4 p.m., minibar items, local telephone calls, faxes and four items of laundry, all free of charge.
"On ordinary days it was Rp 595,000++ per person. The room package is valid till Jan. 20," she said.
Despite the 35 percent occupancy of the 1,004-room Hilton hotel on Friday, the hotel had 200 reservations on hand for Idul Fitri and was optimistic.
Room packages at the Hilton are going at Rp 350,000 for a deluxe room in the main tower and Rp 450,000 for one in the Lagoon and Garden towers, complete with hotel benefits. The package is valid for Indonesian citizens and KIM-S holders till Jan. 31.
"If you stay for two nights, you'll get an additional night's stay at the Hilton for free and if you book two rooms, you get a third room for free," Dewi said.
"On ordinary days the package was Rp 500,000 for a room in the main tower and Rp 600,000 for one in the Lagoon and Garden towers."
Meanwhile, cake shops of some of the five-star hotels have since Christmas generated four times the daily revenues they make on ordinary days.
Ali Reza of the pastry shop at the Borobudur Intercontinental said that it stood to make over Rp 15 million a day selling cakes, pastries, cookies and the like during the holiday season.
The Borobudur pastry shop is offering, among other things, the Surabaya lapis legit cake for Rp 95,000, coconut cookies at Rp 28,000 per cylinder (300 grams), Tiramisu cake at Rp 110,000 per kilo and chocolate cake at Rp 110,000.
The Mandarin pastry shop reportedly makes at least Rp 30 million daily during the holiday season, while the Shangri-La cake shop is expecting to make Rp 18 million a day. (ylt)