Starred, gourmet, traditional, a bit rustic or simply close to home, the restaurant is that place where to be fed is not only our appetite, but also our sociability. The main push towards the restaurant, in fact, comes from the desire to feel good with others, in a cozy and comfortable space as can be your home, with the fundamental difference that we are not cooking, cleaning and worrying about having put salt in the water of the pasta, looking for a satisfaction of the palate, which is also well-being for the spirit.
Despite the fact that, in our country, catering is perceived as an indispensable element of our moments of conviviality and sociality, with an increasingly strong ability to represent an experiential path, a narrative of the history of the territory and the authenticity of the products, expertly processed and served, unfortunately the pandemic has brought out all the fragility of this sector, which, precisely because of its social aggregating nature, represents one of the main sectors affected by the anti-Covid rules. And so we focus on the difficulties faced by restaurateurs, the patience shown, the spirit of initiative and the ability to reinvent themselves.
But it’s not over yet. The obligation to show the Green Pass or the result of a tampon carried out within 48 hours -a measure already active in France, for example- will also be adopted in Italy from August 6 to attend bars and restaurants indoors, gyms, museums and cinemas. According to the data processed by Coldiretti, there are fourteen million Italians who will give up on entering their favorite restaurant.
This, it is easy to predict, will cause a domino effect on the whole food system. The first to suffer are the producers who assist helpless to a drastic reduction in sales (from meat to fish, from fruit to vegetables). Not to mention what remains unsold precisely because of the scarce, if not absent, requests of restaurateurs who prefer to reduce supplies, due to an unclear and not rosy future scenario.
To these problems are added others related to the harvesting activity in the countryside and the grape harvest which is just around the corner. These are commitments that cannot be postponed or, simply, put on hold because of the perishability of the products in question: the impossibility of selling, combined with the difficulties of hiring seasonal workers – most of them from foreign countries, each with its anti-Covid 19 rules – could lead to losses of product and therefore of turnover.
We would lose a total of 1.5 billion of turnover between public and tourism activities, with a damage of 300 million euros of turnover for bars and restaurants only, according to the estimates of Fiepet-Confesercenti. Enormous figures since between 30 and 40% of bars and restaurants do not have dehors or tables outside, due to lack of adequate space.
We must ensure that the sector, which accounts for 25% of GDP, is protected in its ability to continue to generate wealth, tourism, dissemination of Made in Italy, without sacrificing safety and the protection of collective health. ITA0039 is well aware that the restaurant industry and the entire food and tourism chain that it supports, represents a strategic asset for Italy and moves its actions in order to make it increasingly known, consolidated and protected.
A goal getting closer and closer thanks to the 100% Italian Taste Certification. Protect Italian cooking and, above all, give it the value it deserves. Cooking and tasting the products of our BelPaese has represented, in this year and a half of pandemic, one of the few possibilities to break the rhythm of monotony, to put ourselves to the test with new recipes, to discover for the first time a passion that the frenetic everyday life prevented us from knowing, and – above all – to express ourselves and the desire to be together.
Another test of resilience is required of our restaurateurs, more and more strongpoint of the timeless Made in Italy!
