Devastating: this restaurant will remain closed in January due to sky-high energy prices
You can hardly have missed it: energy prices are soaring. And of course, that doesn’t just apply to households. Restaurants are being hit just as hard. So hard, in fact, that closing (temporarily) seems like the better option. The same goes for Restaurant Fox in Denekamp; it has decided to remain closed in January.
A simple calculation showed that the restaurant’s loss would be greater if it opened than if it remained closed. And all because of the extremely high energy prices. How sad!
No other option
The restaurant, located in Twente, is used to January being an incredibly quiet month. There is no carnival celebrations and it is located in a rural area. But now that energy costs are between €12,000 and €15,000 per month, it makes no sense for the restaurant to open. If it does, 1,000 square metres would have to be heated. Ouch…
Solution: lower energy taxes
According to owner Mark Fox, there is a simple solution: energy taxes need to be reduced. They currently amount to no less than 69%, and the government will not introduce an Energy Cost Allowance for energy-intensive SMEs (TEK scheme) until April. According to Fox, many business owners have no idea how this scheme works exactly. Moreover, the scheme appears to be inaccessible to a very large proportion of the hospitality industry. And that is frustrating. ‘They have absolutely no idea in The Hague what they are causing at the moment. If they continue like this, many business owners will be finished by the end of this year.’
Stay positive
So should they just give up? No way! At Restaurant Fox, they make sure that ideas and new concepts keep bubbling up. And there is plenty in the pipeline to look forward to. For example, the annual children’s event starts in February, allowing children to eat at the restaurant ‘for a small amount of money’. With this, Fox also wants to give poorer families the opportunity to enjoy a meal out together. Now those are the things that matter. Keep your head up (and The Hague: are you listening?)!
Source: AD
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