After President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the ban on alcohol has been reinstated with immediate effect and that the curfew will be put back in place, the restaurant industry expressed how this would further damage the South African hospitality, which is already in dire straits. Local chefs took to social media to publish powerful images in protest and to shed light on the number of employees who are affected by the country’s current lockdown regulations.

Chef Dave Schneider of Chefs Warehouse at Maison shared the following on his Facebook page:

“To all hospitality family members. Let’s show them the reality of the domino effect caused by these new restrictions. No alcohol, no dinner service, no guest house accommodation, loadshedding… Use the hashtags #jobssavelives and #foodforthought. Let this be a start of something massive. The world doesn’t listen to mediocre… So let’s do extraordinary things moving forward!”

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#jobssavelives #eatout #jhpgourmetguide #helpout #chefswarehouse_chef_liamtomlin

A post shared by Chefs Warehouse at Maison (@chefswarehousemaison) on Jul 13, 2020 at 2:40am PDT

Soon after, fellow chefs and restaurateurs took to their pages to do the same.

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128 jobs and their families. No government support and restricted to our eyeballs. #jobssaveslives #eatout #helpout

A post shared by The Fat Cactus (@thefatcactus) on Jul 13, 2020 at 3:19am PDT

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42 Families relied on their jobs at @catch22grille. No Government support. No further TERS. Trading under current restrictions leading to losses. #jobssavelives #keeprestaurantsalive

A post shared by Catch22 Beachside Grille & Bar (@catch22grille) on Jul 13, 2020 at 7:10am PDT

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#jobssavelives #eatout #helpout #supportlocal

A post shared by Botanicum Cafe & Grill (@botanicum_cg) on Jul 13, 2020 at 6:23am PDT

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#jobssavelives #eatout #chefswarehouse #stateofthenation

A post shared by Chefs Warehouse at Beau (@chefswarehousebeauconstantia) on Jul 13, 2020 at 4:56am PDT

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#jobssavelives

A post shared by Liam Tomlin (@chefswarehouse_chef_liamtomlin) on Jul 13, 2020 at 5:22am PDT

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#jobssavelives #eatout #helpout

A post shared by Matt Manning (@mattmanningchef) on Jul 13, 2020 at 5:31am PDT

There can be no doubt the restaurant industry is suffering greatly during this time and these restrictions will only make a bad situation worse. As we once again wait for the lockdown to be eased, don’t forget that you can help – by donating to the Eat Out Restaurant Relief Fund, by dining out (while adhering to all safety regulations) and by ordering from your favourite restaurants (take a look at our round-up of Italian restaurants doing deliveries for a start!).