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A wider sense of community
When it comes to addressing the impending gloom descending on the restaurant industry we’ve seen different stimulus and support packages put in place in other countries, from the US to the UK, as well as chefs and restaurateurs reacting in different ways from petitioning and lobbying to fundraising and pivoting to simply laying off staff. What level of intervention is there in Colombia?
“We don’t see any help. We are trying to be united, but in the end I don’t know if it’s going to help in some way.”
“Here if you fire your staff, it’s worse, because the government’s not going to take care of you. You’re going to be struggling super hard after a month.”
A lack of government intervention of financial security has mobilised chefs to have a greater sense of responsibility and unity in Latin America.
“I didn’t fire anyone," Álvaro explained, "I’m keeping all my staff. If the situation carries on like this, we’re not going to be able to stand more than two or three months. We’re going to be bankrupt. I don’t want to fire anyone. I want to find solutions to keep them employed.”
"The way I see it so far, we need to be safe, each one has to negotiate with the owner of the places with their staff, but so far what I’ve seen of my friends in the culinary world in Colombia is they’re keeping their staff which I really admire and that’s the most important thing to do right now, but a lot of these places I’m seeing they’re one month away from being bankrupt and not knowing if they’ll re-open again."
