Restaurants expect sales to grow as Ramadan enters second week

AMMAN — Restaurants witnessed less footfall during the first week of the holy month of Ramadan, according to President of the Jordan Restaurants Association (JRA) Essam Fakhreddin.

“The lower demand during the first period of Ramadan is something usual because people like to spend more time with their families and friends at their homes,” Fakhreddin told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

He added that after the first week, reservations gradually start to increase, noting that certain restaurants are open during day time and serve food and beverages for tourists, in accordance with relevant laws.

According to the JRA representative, the number of tourist restaurants across the Kingdom stands at around 1,160.

Hasan Mansour, a receptionist at a restaurant in Amman, said that restaurant reservations during the first week of Ramadan decreased by around 30-35 per cent when compared with other months of the year. 

“People now tend to stay at home, however there has been more demand during suhoor [the meal eaten before dawn during Ramadan]  open buffets,” Mansour told The Jordan Times.

Sahar Azzam, a Jordanian, said that she avoids going to restaurants in Ramadan as “the quality of food is lower”, and restaurants tend to choose certain dishes only to serve during the holy month.

“Most of the people I know are eating at home or they order a takeout for a change,” she said.