Bars, cafes face gloomy trade during Idul Fitri holidays
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)