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The decision was “very difficult”, but the lack of customers left no alternative. Majestic and Guarany, two historic cafes in Porto, doors closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions imposed by the government to combat it. The closure, believes the management of both, is not final, but there is still no date set for the reopening.
It was very difficult. This is not what we wanted. We wanted to keep the doors open, but without customers there came a point where losses and expenses were being generated and there was no point in continuing, ”explains Fernando Barrias, manager of the two Porto establishments. The scenario of long lines at the door and full rooms ceased to exist with the arrival of the pandemic in Portugal: “Here in Baixa do Porto there is no tourism, there are no residents and many people who still had offices and clinics here are teleworking. All this dictated the decision to close ”.
The first to close was Café Guarany, on November 15. The Majestic, which is close to celebrating 100 years and is considered one of the most beautiful cafes in the world, closed this Monday, November 30 at 3 pm. Fernando Barrias admits that the final circumstances, like the entire pandemic, are new. “During WWII there was no need to close, although to have the door open we had to pay a war canon ”, he explains. With this closure, around 40 workers are in leave Until there are conditions to reopen ”.
The reopening of stores in May, at a time when the country entered the phase of deflation after the first wave, brought some hope of “never having to close again.” The cafes had to adapt their work to the new rules and restrictions, such as reducing the capacity of the rooms, but even so, the measure would not be necessary in these two cases, since the rooms have not been filled. “Before, we had clients queuing to enter. Even with this reduction, there was never a shortage of tables for people to visit us. We work to the minimum ”, explains the manager.
Both Majestic and Guarany coffee are not the only cases of establishments that are suffering the impact of restrictions to combat the pandemic. The catering sector, by the way, has been one of the most affected and many businessmen and workers have organized demonstrations and there is more support for the Government.
It is a situation that has been deteriorating. The restaurant colleagues got desperate, they also saddened us and we also ended up having to close. I think people were taken by surprise, they are in shock, they did not know that a second wave was coming so suddenly ”, explains the manager.
Regarding the scheduled date for the reopening of these two historic cafes in Porto, Fernando Barrias says that it is “very difficult to point out aAnd he explains that everything will depend on the evolution of the situation. Hoping for a vaccine early next year gives some encouragement, but “until people are confident again, it will still take time.” Still, Fernando Barrias is optimistic that the situation will improve: “In the same way that the virus appeared, in the same way it will disappear. We have to trust the future ”.
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