PETALING JAYA: Eateries and food delivery services in states that come under the movement control order (MCO) will be allowed to operate until 10pm from today.
Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government has heeded the calls by consumers and traders to extend the operation hours.
“We were aware of the many complaints (on this) and so we quickly held meetings since last week to deliberate on it,” he told a special media conference on the MCO yesterday.
In calling for revision of the opening hours for eateries from 6am to 8am and extending the closing time from 8pm to 10pm, restaurant owners and diners in the Klang Valley said the earlier permitted hours were unsuitable.
Both sides agree that few people have their first meal of the day at 6am while many, who work late, end up without dinner when they clock out for the day.
Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association president Datuk Jawahar Ali Taib Khan said the previous operating hours did not give customers enough time to get their dinner after work.
“To close at 8pm, we had to stop taking orders at 7.30pm. That means we were unable to cater to the needs of everyone. This was also a busy hour, when most people were just leaving their office to buy dinner before leaving for home,” he told theSun.
Jawahar Ali claimed that the previous operating hours were bad for business. “We saw an 80% drop in daily takings and this affected our income.
“We still have to pay our staff salaries, rental and utility bills,” he pointed out.
He said an estimated 600 outlets have already closed down since the Covid-19 pandemic began early last year and the first movement control order was in place from March 18 to June 9, 2020.
Kayu Nasi Kandar Restaurant Group chief executive officer Sirajudin Mohamed Mydin had also called for the revision of operating hours.
“There are only 30% of people heading out to work and I believe many would opt to have breakfast at home before heading out.
Opening at 6am and hoping for customers to come in at that time was not ideal,” he told theSun.
Sirajudin added that restaurants are not running on a 24-hour basis anymore and crowds that come in during lunch and dinner time generate most of the profit.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations chief executive officer Datuk Dr Paul Selvaraj agreed that the operating hours were inconvenient to many.
“Many people had to rush to get their meals. It would not just help those who work night shifts but also for everyone else who had to rush back just to grab themselves something to eat at night,” he said.
