A man wearing a protective face mask walks past a closed restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey, May 5, 2020. Emin Tekin's seafood restaurant at the Karakoy neighborhood, the ancient financial center of Istanbul on the shores of the Golden Horn, has been closed since early March in line with the government's measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Osman Orsal/Xinhua)
by Zeynep Cermen
ISTANBUL, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Emin Tekin met two of his employees at his seafood restaurant in central Istanbul on Tuesday to give some pocket money.
His small restaurant at the Karakoy neighborhood, the ancient financial center of Istanbul on the shores of the Golden Horn, has been closed since early March in line with the government's measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.
"I visit my restaurant twice a week. Each time I come here, I see a couple of my employees, waiting for me at the doorstep to get some cash," Tekin said, admitting that he could no longer pay their salaries without earning any revenue.
Tekin gave 150 Turkish liras (21 U.S. dollars) to one of his employees, whose wife is going to give birth, and kept 200 liras for himself and his family of four.
Tekin has been working since he was 17 years old after he first came to Istanbul from his hometown in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir.
He had recently spent a significant amount of money to expand his small seafood restaurant and increased the capacity to 70 tables.
However, the future of restaurants and bars worries some economists and business owners at a time when Turkey has started to ease the limitation measures taken against the COVID-19 outbreak.
There is no explicit information about their re-opening schedule yet, but sector representatives admitted the fact that things will not be the same for them anymore.
Mustafa Sonmez, an economy writer, told Xinhua that it would not be possible for several components of tourism such as restaurants to sustain their businesses in the post-pandemic era.
"The new era would bring distinct rules against the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing restaurant owners to reduce their capacities and lessen the number of waiters in a bid to limit the contact," Sonmez explained.
"But, most of these businesses were established based on a certain capacity. You cannot keep them alive by forcing them to narrow down their sizes," said Sonmez, the writer of over two dozen books about Turkey's economy and social events.
Tekin also said that it would be almost impossible for him to run his restaurant with half capacity.
"The rent of this location is 9,000 liras, and it is using over 1,000 liras of electricity each month. Our natural gas consumption hits thousands of liras in winter months," he said. "And, when you add other expenses, what good would come if I host only 20 tables?"
Sonmez estimated that restaurants would take a huge blow, as most people would shun from going out due to the pandemic.
"A significant breakdown would be inevitable," Sonmez noted. "This particular leg of the capitalist market is collapsing in the entire world."
Tekin needs at least 20,000 liras to be able to reopen his restaurant and pay the invoices, some of his debts, and do some shopping.
"That means another loan for me," he said, adding that he is now seriously considering leaving Istanbul and returning to his hometown.
"I came to a point in my life that I am seriously considering tearing down my business, which I created from nothing in 15 years," he added.
However, for Metin Turkyilmaz, a freelance economy writer for the Dunya daily, Turkey is a dynamic country and has a flexible economy.
"If the bans would be lifted in June, there could be a rapid recovery, depending on the course of the pandemic," Turkyilmaz said. Enditem
