A Putrajaya restaurant owner had shared in a Facebook post that the no dine-in SOP made him shut down his business in March this year.

Johar Johari the owner of Bolet Dim Sum said that in the earlier stages of the pandemic, the restaurant was still surviving due to dine-in being allowed.

But when the enforced SOP stated no dine-ins were allowed, problems started to emerge.

“It was like the final nail in the coffin. We stood tall for a year until we finally broke down due to the no dining-in rule,” he said.

Bolet Dim Sum was the first localised brand to open at the Shaftsbury Mall, Putrajaya in January 2020.

Johar chose the location based on the management’s promise that more established brands will be opening soon. Johar used all his EPF earnings to start the business he labelled as a dream.

He added, “We were doing very well, made good money and even obtained an ‘A’ status from the council. We served homemade dim sum with an old-school menu.”

Although feeling hurt from the closure, Johar is in high hopes to reopen with a new investor. He is currently catering and delivering from home.

On July 14, Restaurant and Bistro Owners Association media advisor Jeremy Lim warned that 60% of restaurants could face shutting down by September.

He claimed that businesses only have two months’ worth of cash flow which could affect 500,000 jobs.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE