Many of these restaurants are 24-hour operated and offer live coverage of Euro2016. One of the main reasons behind the failure to attract customers is the rise in prices of food and drinks and the imposition of GST.
One of the 24-hour restaurants providing live coverage of Euro2016 is Steven’s Corner. It is a popular restaurant in Klang valley, located in Taman OUG and patronised by many people from far and near.
Steven’s Corner director S. Komalah, 47, said the restaurant had been operating for 40 years and many of its regular customers were spending lesser than before.
“Our regular customers still come during the matches, but they don’t spend as much as they used to before.”
“There is not much difference in profit if compared to before and during Euro2016.” she said.
Another popular “mamak” restaurant chain is ABC Big Town Cafe.The cafe’s Old Klang Road branch manager, M. Sasikumar, has been there for more than 10 years, having gone through three FIFA World Cups and three European Championships coverage at the branch.
Sasikumar said most of their customers that came to watch football did not spend much, mostly just on drinks.
“They always come to watch football here, and most of the time they only order ais kosong, Milo ais or teh tarik.”
Sasikumar added that the customers often complain about GST.
“Customers are always complaining about GST when we speak to them. I believe that is why they don’t spend a lot at the cafe.”
The 34-year-old manager also mentioned that in previous football tournaments, there were more customers and more profit was made.
“During previous FIFA World Cup and Euro we received a lot of customers and profit was high, but now there are less customers and there’s not much profit,” he said.
Mohammad Ashiq Abdul Kader, 42 is a manager at Restoran Mahkota in Sentul which also offers live coverage of Euro2016.
According to Ashiq, they are not earning much during this Euro matches and believes it is because of the rise in prices of food and drinks and the imposition of GST.
“During the World Cup two years ago, we had more customers and the restaurant was always full. However, now we only have about 15 to 20 customers late at night and in the early hours of the morning.”
“The recently ended EPL attracted less customers. I believe this is because of the price increase of food and drinks and with the imposition of GST, people are spending less than before as they prefer watching live matches at home.”
The European championships are held once in every 4 years and Euro2016 is held in France this year. Top nations from Europe battle to be crowned European champions. The tournament runs from June 10 to July 10, 2016.