TÜRES’ 10% Discount Call Did Not Find a Response in Restaurants

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Lerato Khumalo

The General President of All Restaurants and Tourism Association (TÜRES), Ramazan Bingöl, made a call the other day and said, “In order to break the perception of expensive prices that has recently emerged in our sector and to revitalize the sector, we call on TÜRES members and the sector to make a 10 percent discount on all menus or some of the menus.”

Restaurant owners in Istanbul stated that such a discount was not possible due to economic conditions and cost increases. Restaurant owners stated that discounting menus in the current economic conditions would put their businesses in a difficult situation.

Restaurants in some neighborhoods in Istanbul said they would not comply with this call and stated that their prices were already reasonable. Some tradesmen said that they had not even reflected the increases in rent, electricity and other expenses on their menus yet. Restaurant owners, who stated that business had decreased, said that the solution would not be discounts and that it was normal for restaurants affiliated with TÜRES to offer discounts, and that there was a difference of over 50 percent between them and the restaurants.