Bar and restaurant owners want the State to increase operating hours in a move aimed at raking in more revenues for a sector that is making huge losses on reduced customers following the outbreak of the coronavirus in Kenya in March.
Pubs, Entertainment and Restaurant Association of Kenya national chair Alice Opee said they want the facilities to operate between 5am and 8pm, adding that shorter working hours the State imposed deny them business.
Our customers tend to visit our premises after work and it's, therefore, unsustainable for us to close business at 4pm," Ms Opee told the Saturday Nation yesterday.
The State in April allowed hotels and restaurants that had suspended operations over coronavirus safety concerns to resume operations between 5am to 4pm
However, the State yesterday reiterated that the hotels and restaurants should adhere to new measures or risk losing permits.
Ms Opee said the State extended curfew hours from 9pm to 4am to enable businesses to operate for more hours yet hotels and restaurants are required to close early.
