Restaurants see decline in sales — association

AMMAN — Restaurant operators saw a drop in sales by over 30 per cent with the start of the new academic year, according to a sector representative.

Overall consumer spending on restaurants has declined, as customers during the month of September shift their spending to other priorities, said Omar Awwad, president of the Jordan Association for Restaurants and Sweet Shops Owners.

The restaurant industry, which employs around 350,000 to 400,000 Jordanian and foreign workers, needs cash inflow to retain trained employees, manage expenses, survive and thrive, he highlighted.

“Drastic increases in food prices also still affect the industry. However, chicken prices have somehow stabilised, which has been a huge relief,” Awwad told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

Having no customers and empty restaurants has become a common occurrence according to Awwad, who said that there are around 20,000 restaurants across the Kingdom.

Mahmoud Qteishat, owner of a restaurant serving local food, told The Jordan Times that in July he could not pay his restaurant lease, because his expenses exceeded his revenue.

Hoping that things will bounce back, Qteishat added that he expects more customers to start coming in mid-September.

“Retaining regular customers has become a hard thing to do, due to having countless restaurant options,” said  Zaid Ahmad, an employee in a local restaurant in Amman.

He added that “most customers go and buy their food from chain restaurants that have large engagement on social media platforms and strong marketing strategies”.