Business: in a difficult situation: you prepare outdoor cafes, you have to hire employees, but you do not receive any knowledge from the government.

On Wednesday, the government was expected to make decisions on the opening of shopping centers from April 12, but this decision was postponed due to the deterioration of the epidemiological situation. At the same time, no specific plans were identified for greater commercial openness and vaccination of the population was identified as a priority.

Worried about a good start

Amber Food, which operates restaurant chains such as Charlie Pizza, La Crepe, Katpėdėlė and others. General Manager Gediminas Balnis said he is preparing to start operations today, but sees many challenges.

“So far, the situation is difficult and we are participating in a kind of casino. We are preparing to be able to open from April 15, but it will be especially difficult for us to do so.

Usually we start preparing to work in outdoor cafes in November, in December, there are plans for what will work and now we may have employee issues. We don’t know if they will be motivated, “said G. Balnis, saying that the cafes have been running at a slow pace for some time, but if there are a lot of customers, the question is how the employees will get back to fast customer service.

Also, as assured, it is unclear how many people will return to work after the downtime.

“The number of young people was decreasing, it was becoming more and more difficult for us to invite them to work every year. We are in the dark, “he said.

Balnis confirmed that employees are currently talking about returning to work, as well as laying and sliding outdoor decks.

“It is not confirmed that we will begin activities on April 15, but we are preparing, because we cannot be told that tomorrow he will go to work.

We need to prepare, we need time, there may be some quality things, ”he said, also talking about the huge fluctuations in billing for outdoor cafes on hot and cold days.

“And if we are not allowed to work, some will suffer huge losses, because the companies will have accepted new people and will not be compensated for it.

And it is also not possible not to accept employees now, because then there will be problems if it is possible to carry out the activities. This is a business, not a casino, “said G. Balnis.

Prepare risers, flowers, umbrellas.

Kęstutis Markevičius, marketing manager of the Fortas restaurant group, also said that his network is actively preparing for the opening and that special attention is paid to outdoor activities.

“All documents and permits are reviewed, platforms, tables, chairs, flowers, awnings, umbrellas, heaters, etc. are prepared,” he said.

According to him, employees in downtime are positive and look forward to getting back to work.

“It just came to our notice then. Probably the biggest challenge is still employee skills. After half a year of work, they are definitely on the decline.

We look for ways to update knowledge and revitalize skills before the restaurant business revives. Of course, it is inconvenient when the exact opening date is not known, but we have not been working for the first year: the restaurant “Fortas” is already 24 years old, we have seen both hot and cold, so we will definitely do it. recover, “commented K. Markevičius.

Distributes operating permits, exempt from fees.

After Vilnius became a great café last year and businessmen opened the squares and streets of the city for activities, this year the capital continues to take this initiative.

According to Virgina Skirienė, head of the Vilnius City Municipality’s Business Organization and Permits subdivision, a total of 130 permits were issued for outdoor cafes as well as bars, cafes and restaurants in March, and entrepreneurs can follow requesting permissions. .

“Cafe, bar or restaurant owners are invited to apply remotely starting April 2. 9 a. M. until April 12. 9 a. M. With respect to the 55 coffee places indicated by the municipality, submit applications for permission to trade (provide services) in a selection method installed in an outdoor cafe (squares, squares, parks outside the premises of a person that provides catering services and on the streets) and participate in the selection, ”said V. Skirienė.

It is announced that in Vilnius this year, according to the established aesthetic requirements, cafes will be able to settle in three zones: the historic center in the old town (zone 1), Naujamiestis, part of Šnipiškės and Žirmūnai (zone 2), the rest in Vilnius (zone 3).

It is explained that the permits are valid from April, May until the end of the summer season.

Sonata Šėlienė, head of the Kaunas Municipality’s Department of Licenses, Permits and Services, also stated that the municipality is helping the affected company due to the epidemic situation and exempted it from some local fees.

“The Kaunas City Council has already made a decision and exempted the owners of outdoor cafes from the local fee in 2021. Legislation has also been adopted to increase the area of ​​outdoor cafes, provided this does not violate the rights of others. Currently, entrepreneurs are actively submitting requests to coordinate outdoor café projects. The outdoor cafes are designed next to the catering building and can be expanded as long as they do not violate the rights of other people, do not impede the movement of pedestrians or vehicles. 15 projects have already been approved, ”he explained, ensuring that as soon as the government allows activities in outdoor cafes, the permits will be issued without delay.

“The validity of the permit is chosen by the person applying for the permit, as there will be no need to pay the local fee, it is likely to be until the end of the year,” added S. Šėlienė.

Representatives of the Municipality of Klaipėda assured that they had also issued 51 permits for lacquer coffees this year and that 2 more are currently being coordinated.

“In previous years, between 100 and 120 units were issued. Such permits. It should be noted that both last year and this year, outdoor cafes are exempt from paying the local fee,” said representatives of the municipality.

Also ask for a work permit.

On Tuesday, the Vilnius Night Alliance, which unites some of Vilnius’s bars and clubs, also called on the government to liberalize its activities.

According to them, it is worrying that the discussion on the limitation of the working day is resuming in terms of resuming activities. The Alliance made suggestions on how to work safely after midnight.

It proposes allowing companies to operate indefinitely, introducing scientifically proven measures to prevent the spread of the virus, which work just as effectively before and after midnight.

“These include certificates of test results, antiviral masks and aerosol coatings on surfaces, antiviral air filters, restrictions on the number of people, distances between tables, consumption of drinks only seated and active control of the municipal departments of public order. We also suggest applying very logical and easy-to-understand recommendations, such as choosing a bubble of 5 friends and visiting it with only one place per night. We will never reduce risk to zero, but we can manage risk so people can choose safer and more controlled places to meet friends.

As always, we are very open to cooperation. We have been sending all the necessary information to the Government for some time. Obviously, people no longer have the patience to follow irrational and illogical rules. Finally, it is time to find the courage to implement measures that really work, not to talk about inefficient and incorrect time constraints, ”says Mark Adam Harold, President of the Vilnius Night Alliance.

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