The second wave of Covid-19 has sent many of us reeling. Following the first wave of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown, Sri Lankans were more or less returning to their normal lives when the second wave hit. There were those of us complacent and those of us very concerned about a potential second wave. For the most part, people tried to resume normal activities while paying attention to their health and safety, adhering to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health as much as possible.
Bars and nightlife were very heavily hit by the pandemic. In general, once the lockdown was lifted, things were picking up, but now with the second wave having hit, bar and club owners look to be in for another time of hardship. The Sunday Morning Brunch spoke with some of Colombo’s favourite establishments for their views on how they’re adapting.
Photo : Sarah Mitchell Baker[/caption]
Many restaurants and bars turned to delivery during the lockdown, and the delivery business began to boom. The end of the lockdown in May meant that people were now able to go back to restaurants. The first few weeks after the lockdown were slow, but gradually the general public started coming out of their shells and started going out on the town again, although in significantly fewer numbers than before.
Harpo’s Hotels, Cafes, and Restaurants Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Harpo Gooneratne noted that August and September saw things moving positively. “Most of the restaurants were seeing approximately 70-80% of the activity they saw at the same time last year, which was after the Easter attacks. Some restaurants were doing quite well in the sense that they were breaking even and keeping their heads above water.”
Sampath Perera[/caption]
From a dine-in perspective, Perera explained that Taphouse has scaled down operations significantly to ensure that large gatherings are avoided. “Part of the responsibility is on us to be mindful and avoid large congregations for now. We have stopped all live entertainment for now, and for those who dine in, we are focusing on following the health and safety regulations as strictly as possible.”
The Irish Bar & Grill Owner Sasha Jayasundera shared that in the case of The Irish Bar & Grill, as well as her other venture, the karaoke bar Sopranos, health and safety regulations are being followed very closely, with small changes also being made in layout and furnishing to promote social distancing.
“We have always encouraged social distancing in our establishments and are now following regulations more closely. Before, you couldn’t really stop people from staying away from each other once they come in, but now we’ve made sure all chairs are placed at least one metre apart. We’ve also taken away our bar stools for the moment. The Irish Bar & Grill is a large area and we’re using this to our advantage. We also have an outdoor area on the roof, and many customers prefer to eat outdoors at the moment.
“With Sopranos, it's an indoor space and we have arranged it in such a way that people will adhere to social distancing and have taken out some furniture to aid in this. We also encourage our guests to wear masks as much as possible and to use greeting methods that don’t require physical contact. We also place a heavy focus on frequently sanitising hands.”
Fernando explained that in the case of R&B, and his other venture, The Chiller Room, they have been following guidelines strictly, only accepting 50% of their occupancy at any given time. In terms of managing regulations in a nightclub setting, Fernando explained that this has meant taking steps that have impacted the nightclub experience. “The dance floor has not been active. We’ve been operating as a bar, with only background music playing and no dancing allowed. It isn’t the same nightclub experience as it used to be.”
Dealing with the first wave
The islandwide lockdown that was instituted overnight hit restaurants hard. Selling alcohol was also prohibited during the lockdown, and even once the lockdown was lifted, general medical opinion discouraged bars and clubs selling alcohol for fears of breeding infection. [caption id="attachment_102462" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo : Sarah Mitchell Baker[/caption]
Many restaurants and bars turned to delivery during the lockdown, and the delivery business began to boom. The end of the lockdown in May meant that people were now able to go back to restaurants. The first few weeks after the lockdown were slow, but gradually the general public started coming out of their shells and started going out on the town again, although in significantly fewer numbers than before.
Harpo’s Hotels, Cafes, and Restaurants Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Harpo Gooneratne noted that August and September saw things moving positively. “Most of the restaurants were seeing approximately 70-80% of the activity they saw at the same time last year, which was after the Easter attacks. Some restaurants were doing quite well in the sense that they were breaking even and keeping their heads above water.”
The second wave
The second wave took people quite by surprise. After months of no internal spread of infection, there was a new cluster that quickly grew, with over 2,000 active cases to date. For many industries, the second wave has come as a huge blow at a time when things were just starting to pick up. When news of the new cluster of Covid-19 infections broke, the Ministry of Health stressed the importance of following the health and safety regulations to minimise the spread of the infection. But how badly is the second wave affecting businesses like bars and nightclubs? In many cases, this second wave seems to be having a worse impact than the first. “From a restaurant point of view, this wave is worse,” Gooneratne said. “The first wave saw businesses shut down because there was zero business. With the second wave, people are actively not coming to restaurants anymore. They’re obviously worried. The fear psychology is quite strong. We don’t know exactly where we’re going and when this is going to end. Every day, there are more reports of cases being discovered. It’s a matter of looking and seeing.” Rhythm and Blues (R&B) Managing Director Russell Fernando shared that while business was steadily picking up, the second wave has resulted in almost no footfall. “Before October, things were coming back to normal. We were experiencing maybe a 20% drop from our normal attendance. Now, with the second wave, it’s really bad; we may even need to close temporarily. In the long term, it all depends; if cases were only being reported in quarantine centres, it wouldn’t matter, but if it’s happening in the community, then it’s different. Who wants to go out and spend money on having a good time at the risk of catching the virus?”Adapting to the second wave
With no choice but to adapt to the second wave, some restaurants, as they did in the past, are turning towards strengthening their delivery systems. “This time around, people are much more cautious about stepping out than they were before. It’s starting to hit home,” explained Taphouse by RnR Operations Manager Sampath Perera. “The second wave has affected footfall heavily. We are trying to focus more on food sales and delivery, working with delivery apps to get more going on that side.” [caption id="attachment_102464" align="alignleft" width="250"] Sampath Perera[/caption]
From a dine-in perspective, Perera explained that Taphouse has scaled down operations significantly to ensure that large gatherings are avoided. “Part of the responsibility is on us to be mindful and avoid large congregations for now. We have stopped all live entertainment for now, and for those who dine in, we are focusing on following the health and safety regulations as strictly as possible.”
The Irish Bar & Grill Owner Sasha Jayasundera shared that in the case of The Irish Bar & Grill, as well as her other venture, the karaoke bar Sopranos, health and safety regulations are being followed very closely, with small changes also being made in layout and furnishing to promote social distancing.
“We have always encouraged social distancing in our establishments and are now following regulations more closely. Before, you couldn’t really stop people from staying away from each other once they come in, but now we’ve made sure all chairs are placed at least one metre apart. We’ve also taken away our bar stools for the moment. The Irish Bar & Grill is a large area and we’re using this to our advantage. We also have an outdoor area on the roof, and many customers prefer to eat outdoors at the moment.
“With Sopranos, it's an indoor space and we have arranged it in such a way that people will adhere to social distancing and have taken out some furniture to aid in this. We also encourage our guests to wear masks as much as possible and to use greeting methods that don’t require physical contact. We also place a heavy focus on frequently sanitising hands.”
Fernando explained that in the case of R&B, and his other venture, The Chiller Room, they have been following guidelines strictly, only accepting 50% of their occupancy at any given time. In terms of managing regulations in a nightclub setting, Fernando explained that this has meant taking steps that have impacted the nightclub experience. “The dance floor has not been active. We’ve been operating as a bar, with only background music playing and no dancing allowed. It isn’t the same nightclub experience as it used to be.”