Just yesterday (15 Aug), a hotpot restaurant landed itself in hot soup for failing to oversee safe distancing among diners.
They reportedly let over 20 people eat together, when safe distancing rules only allow a maximum of 5 in a group.
The very same night, owner of Mexican restaurant Mr Sid Kim decided it was time he directly addressed the public regarding safe distancing rules.
Mr Sid – who owns Vatos Urban Tacos in South Beach and Holland Village – shared a sobering reminder of how safe distancing rules are a matter of “life and death” for businesses.
Hence, he’s urging everyone to be considerate when dining out.
Mr Sid shared that on 14 Aug night at the South Beach outlet, 2 tables of 5 – placed next to each other – continued to mingle and socialise despite multiple warnings from his staff.
Every time we asked them to stop, the guests would say “okay, okay”, and then 5 minutes later, they would begin mingling again.
About 20 minutes later, a social distancing officer came in and told Mr Sid that if something like this were to happen again, his eatery would be fined and shut down.
A similar scenario took place at the Holland Village branch on Saturday night (15 Aug), as a table of 4 and a table of 3 was also said to have kept mingling and socialising.
Mr Sid said his manager had nicely told them to stop. But when they ignored her, she became more stern.
In the end, they had to ask both tables to vacate the premises. Sadly, they refused to.
When my manager called me, I told her that we had no choice but to call the police, which she did.
To make things worse, a passer-by took a photo of the group of 7, and told Mr Sid’s staff that they were going to report the eatery for violating safe distancing regulations.
Mr Sid shared that breaching safe distancing rules might not be a big deal for customers. But for restaurants, he said,
It’s literally a matter of life or death.
He related that many eateries are trying to survive in our harsh economical climate. So a massive fine and 10 days of mandatory shut down could “easily be the final nail in the coffin.”
The livelihoods of many of our staff also depends on our staying open, so please try to be more understanding.
Fortunately, the aforementioned guests at Holland Village had left before police officers arrived.
But if they had stayed, Mr Sid feared that another Robertson Quay incident would occur. which would be unfortunate for everyone involved.
He implored diners not to put restaurants in this kind of situation.
If it came down to it, I’m sure most restaurant owners would choose their and their staffs’ livelihoods over a group of expats being deported.
Mr Sid’s message is a sobering one, as it paints a realistically grim picture of what businesses are going through now and the risks they face.
Whether you agree with them or not, safe distancing rules are in place to keep everyone safe. As they are being strictly enforced, do spare a thought for the eatery staff and owners when dining out, and comply with safe distancing measures.
Covid-19 is not the time to be selfish, everyone’s survival is dependent on social responsibility.
Featured image adapted from Eatbook.
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