The Malaysian Insight

RESTAURANT owners based in Kuala Lumpur for decades are getting more concerned with each passing day as business dwindles in the Covid-19 pandemic.

They fear a prolonged lockdown will leave them with no choice but to cease trading, the same fate that befell the historic Coliseum Cafe on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, which closed its doors for the last time in March 2020, after 99 years.

The Malaysian Insight visited three popular restaurants in the city serving Malaysian favourites and all its owners said the situation is looking very bleak.

Yut Kee restaurant on Jalan Kamunting has been open since 1929 and is famous for its Hainanese chicken chop, cake rolls and pork buns.

Kudu Bin Abdul Penang Nasi Kandar on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman started in 1969 serving delicacies such as ayam sambal bawang, ayam merah and ayam madu.

Over in Brickfields, Sri Paandi Chettinad Banana Leaf restaurant has been open since 1984. 

The owners told The Malaysian Insight they can hold on for now, but worry as their resources are depleting and are unable to keep afloat with rentals, staff salaries and utility bills hanging over their heads.

Malaysia is under a third lock down – which began last month but was beefed up from June 1 to 14 – covering all but essential economic and services sectors.

Restaurants and other eateries can open for deliveries and take-aways but no dining is allowed. Restaurateurs say they have lost 70% of their revenue.

The current lockdown, similar to that first imposed in March 2020, came as daily Covid-19 cases spiked to more than 9,000, with deaths also rising sharply.

Yut Kee restaurant

Yut Kee restaurant owner Mervyn Lee told The Malaysian Insight the pandemic has depleted him of most of his cash reserves.

“We are back to more than 70% in lost revenue since January, despite having a delivery platform.

“I have so much frustration and fear. I don’t know if Yut Kee will still be here at the end of next month or at the end of the year.”

Lee, who is the third-generation owner, said revenue had dropped 90% since the first MCO in March 2020, as they were highly dependent on customers dining at the restaurant.

“Our sales dropped during the first MCO as we are a full-service restaurant. We were closed for a month and when we started delivery in May we could not break even.

“In June 2020, dining was allowed and we thought we were in recovery. Then we went into conditional MCO last October.”

Business is still bleak this year, he said.

“We are still losing money and not sure how long we can hold on. Despite our losses, we still pay our staff the full basic salary, and provide them with food and lodging.”

Lee said they have not cut salaries but they are imminent if the situation remains the same.

Yut Kee was established in 1929 on Jalan Dang Wangi and moved to Jalan Jalan Kamunting seven years ago.

The restaurant is famous for its Hainanese chicken chop, among other dishes, and their savoury kaya cakes.

Kudu Bin Abdul Penang Nasi Kandar

Restaurant operator Haja Nordin Bashir, 52, said three generations of his family have been running the business for decades.

“My father-in-law from Penang was the one that opened shop here in the ’60s.

“It is still a family business. My two sons, wife and three other relatives are working here.”

Nordin said their business had dropped by as much as 40% since the first MCO but gradually picked up when dining was allowed.

He said business dipped again during the second wave and they were affected like other operators.

“The first MCO was unexpected, we were in shock, it was very new to all of us as we had never experienced anything like that. The city was in lockdown, it had affected all of us.

“When dining was allowed, we were still not making enough because seating was two to a table, to maintain social distancing. Business was not normal.”

He said they are not affected much now as they have regular customers who opt for takeaways.

“Yet, after this (new lockdown) I don’t know how long we can survive. For now we are not that worried but we don’t know what will happen in the near future.

“Like everyone else we hope this pandemic will end soon,” he said.

Sri Paandi restaurant

Restaurant owner Kumar Alagarsamy said business has shrunk more in 2021 than the 30%-40% it lost last year.

“My sales have only been 10% during this lockdown period and if it continues to go on I will have to shut down.

“We have food delivery services but this is only 2% of sales. It is because we are more of a dining restaurant,” he said.

He added people patronise his restaurant to enjoy freshly cooked Chettinad meals, leading to low demand for food delivery.

Kumar also said the 10km travel limit was another reason why business has dipped tremendously.

“Most of my customers come from either Cheras or Petaling Jaya, even Kajang, so having this restriction makes it difficult for them to visit my shop.

Kumar has about 20 workers on rotation with five to six of them in each shift.

“We have staff salaries, utility bills and rental to worry about. If the pandemic continues, we might have no choice but to shut down as we won’t be able to make ends meet.”

Kumar hopes for more assistance from the government as he does not want to reach a point where he has to shut down his business, which has been around for decades. – June 9, 2021.