31st January 2022
Restaurant Association survey shows impact of weather on business
The hospitality industry is counting the cost of this weekend’s weather incident which has caused significant issues for many hospitality businesses across the North Island.
A survey by the Restaurant Association has shown that 85 per cent of respondents have been impacted by the current weather situation.
Of those that responded to the survey, 75 per cent have seen a significant downturn in trade, particularly in Auckland, Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty areas where the anniversary weekend is traditionally a busy weekend.
54 per cent of respondents have experienced material damage to their business as a result of the weather.
55 per cent have been forced to closed their doors due to damage to their building (60 per cent); staff unable to travel to work (68 per cent); road closures (40 per cent) and reservation cancellations (20 per cent). Other issues include interruptions to the supply chain causing shortages of food.
“It’s clear that this weekend’s weather has caused widespread issues to our businesses,” said CEO Marisa Bidois.
“We’ve been taking calls all weekend from members looking for support and targeted communication to help them work through the situation and get back and running again.
“In particular businesses are looking for additional support negotiating with landlords and insurance companies to get back on their feet.”
On Sunday 29th January the Restaurant Association met with local and central Government officials to update them on some of the most pressing issues for hospitality business and how they can support the recovery efforts.
This discussion included what support businesses may be able to access, including financial support through the Mayoral Assistance Fund.
The Restaurant Association has put together an emergency response advice guide for hospitality businesses which can be downloaded here.
The guide includes information and links on employment relations, food safety measures, insurance assistance, support and financial assistance, health and wellbeing and more.
“We know that many businesses will be anxious, particularly with more rain expected,” continued Bidois. “We would like to remind all hospitality businesses that the Association is here to support them through this. The Association has a number of resources available to members to assist, including our emergency response information guide.”
“We will continue to keep members posted via the Restaurant Association website and social media channels about any further discussions and updates we receive.”