Restaurants say they will defy government orders and open dine-in service from next week, as it has restricted them to providing take away service even while greatly easing lockdown regulations in other sectors.

The latest prohibitory order issued by the District Administrative Office on Monday allowed restaurants to reopen after a two-month closure, but only for take away service.

The directive permits markets to open daily and motor vehicles to ply according to the odd-even rule, under which odd and even numbered automobiles are allowed on the roads on alternate days.

“We were hopeful that after two weeks of take away service the government would allow us to operate dine-in service by adhering to health protocols; but it did not happen. If the government does not come up with any provision for restaurants, we will be compelled to gradually start dine-in service by maintaining proper health and safety standards,” said Araniko Rajbhandari, president of the Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal.

Shovan Malakar, owner of Trisara Restaurant, concurred, saying that the government had been neglecting the problems of the restaurant business.

“The government should either pay our rent as our landlords are taking full payment, or let us operate by respecting health protocols,” he said.

Restaurant owners said that the government should implement strict safety standards instead of making decisions that hurt business.

Even during last year’s prolonged lockdown, restaurants started reopening on their own as the government delayed issuing guidelines for them.

"The government has allowed the markets and public transportation to reopen, and it is disappointing that it did not publish any operating rules for the restaurant sector which has suffered greatly from Covid-19," Rajbhandari said.

Hotels and restaurants are among the hardest hit by the pandemic. Following a reduction in Covid-19 caseloads late last year, the restaurant business had been on the way to recovery.

“In order to retain the staff, we should start dine-in service otherwise they will change jobs,” he said.

“As the infection and mortality rate was high during the second wave of the pandemic, we were afraid to resume operations at first; but we cannot take in any more losses,” he said. "Successive governments have also failed to address the problems created by the pandemic in the sector."

Malakar said the government was not doing enough to vaccinate the people, reduce infections and revive the economy.

According to the Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal, there are 3,300 registered restaurants in the country. The industry provides 60,000 jobs, most of which disappeared during the lockdown.

Rajbhandari said take away made up only 10 percent of total sales, and that too only at some major restaurants in the valley. The odd-even rule for motor vehicles has also greatly reduced sales, he added.

“Compared to dine-in, take away service provides 20 percent of our revenue,” Malakar said. Only restaurants that can survive on take away service are doing it; for others, it is very difficult.

Of the total restaurants associated with the Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal, around 10 percent have shut down while 15 percent have sold their business to others, according to Rajbhandari.

“We have been 100 percent affected by the pandemic, and till now we have laid off 35 percent of our staff,” Malakar said. "As the third wave is expected to hit, it is becoming challenging to remain in business."

Malakar said it was difficult to operate in the varied ways decreed by the government.

Well-known restaurant chain Bakery Cafe was forced to close down four of its 10 outlets in Kathmandu as it struggled to cut costs amid falling revenues during last year's lockdown.

According to a follow-up survey conducted by Nepal Rastra Bank in April, the transactions of the hotel and restaurant sector had recovered to 41 percent from 7 percent in June last year compared to pre-pandemic days. In November, their transactions were 18 percent of pre-Covid levels.