Thailand: In-mall operators ask for distancing standards

• May 21, 2020

A group of mall operators has called on the government to help design standardised guidelines for restaurant operators and to extend service times to recoup sales opportunities.

Nopporn Witoonchart, president of Thai Shopping Centers Association (TSCA), said restaurants are still facing some problems after the government allowed them to reopen last Sunday.

There are no government guidelines about social distancing for eateries, he said, with each restaurant deciding on their spacing, leading to some with only one person per table and reducing service space by more than 50%. This has affected restaurants’ sales and operating costs.

“We want the government to design clear practice guidelines for restaurant operators to follow. Operators are learning by trial and error,” Mr Nopporn said.

TSCA has already approached the government to allow restaurant operators to design their own seats for family customers, he said.

Mr Nopporn said customers at some restaurants declined by 50% because of social distancing practices, while service hours are limited to 8pm, with some restaurants closing early because staying open is not worth the effort.

TSCA and the Thai Retailers Association (TRA) jointly sent a letter to the prime minister to support restaurants by allowing them to extend service hours by one hour to 9pm.

“To close restaurants at 8pm is somewhat impractical, as office workers don’t have enough time to dine at restaurants and only 40% of customers have returned after the reopening,” Mr Nopporn said.

He hailed the second phase easing of lockdown measures, which are allowing retailers and restaurants to survive.

Komsan Kwunchaithunya, acting TRA president, said the association proposed the government beef up promotion of the “Thai Chana” (Thais Win) mobile application, as most customers are still unaware of it and its check-in and check-out process.

TSCA filed a letter earlier with the government to consider aid and remedy measures for mall operators, as such centres were shuttered as part of the government’s efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.

In the letter, the association called on the government to help waive or defer the corporate income taxes for 2-3 years to allow operators to have enough time to resuscitate their business.

The group also called for an exemption from property taxes during the shutdown and business rehabilitation period.