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The Spur, which we all know and love, sadly confirmed that it doesn’t know when it will reopen to the public. Even after closing, the restaurant group may not be able to open yet. However, it seems to have valid reasons.
Spur chief operating officer Mark Farrelly, in an interview with Kieno Kammies on Cape Talk, said the group has had an extremely challenging time due to the pandemic and the closure.
As things stand, the national closure is due to end on April 30. However, we know that this could change at any time, depending on what happens next.
Here’s why Spur may not reopen, even after the crash
With nearly 600 restaurants across the county and approximately 30,000 staff members, the Spur Group has a lot on its shoulders, especially amid a pandemic that has caused a blockade.
“You often find that one person who works supports many other people … so you can say there are tens of thousands more who depend on the income from our group,” Farrelly said.
Farrelly said the Spur Group was affected from the time the first case of the virus was confirmed in March.
“What looked like it was going to be a good month at that stage, ended with a drop of around 60%. I can tell you that our franchisees lost tens of thousands of rands at the end of March.“
Spur COO Mark Farrelly
When asked when Spur would reopen, Farrelly said he could not give a definitive answer.
Spur spokesman Moshe Alpleni said: “According to Mark’s interview, we are considering all commercial viabilities.”
According to Business InsiderHowever, Spur will remain closed as long as it faces restrictions on the number of customers and when they can sell alcoholic beverages. This is what Farrelly allegedly communicated in a letter to the owners.
“Restricted trade was so damaging that the blockade was almost a relief as the cost of individual closings was preferable to the horrific business losses our franchisees incurred,” Farrelly wrote.
Sympathy for the owners
Farrelly also expressed sympathy for the owners.
“It is threatened as a result of buying a house, etc., and now this has been a double whammy for an industry that was already putting a lot of pressure, but at the end of the day there has to be a reality,” he said.
Farrelly told Kammies that things will not return to normal after the shutdown, people will entrench themselves with certain habits due to the trauma of the pandemic.
Farrelly said the Spur Group is essentially asking landlords for a rental based on a rotation clause. In other words; If you do it right, the owners will get more, and otherwise the group will be at least in a sustainable position to continue trading.
“We want to make sure that our customers are as safe as possible when we reopen, but the reality is that we have had to look at those kinds of factors,” he said.
“In general, until we reach level four of the restrictions, we will not be able to open.”
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