Banquet Chefs, Hotels Feeling Effects of COVID-19|五星級飯店婚宴多被取消 外燴也喊停

The coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak has had an adverse effect on business. In Tainan, numerous wedding receptions have been canceled, with one five-star hotel reporting NT$6 million in losses during one month. Roadside banquet chefs have also been affected, and one such chef is selling braised noodles at a traditional market to try get by.


The chef prepares an order for a customer. This man didn't use to be a peddler at a traditional market. His original job was roadside banquet chef. However, he was forced to turn to selling braised noodles because the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak resulted in numerous banquet cancellations.

Temple fairs have also been canceled, and the ones that are still being held only have five to six tables. It's been disastrous for us chefs. I, along with restaurants and roadside banquet venues, don't know how we're going to survive. I had to come here and sell braised noodles.

Since the beginning of March, reservations for 400 tables have been postponed or canceled. Meanwhile, inside the market, there are few shoppers. The effects of COVID-19 are evident. Five-star hotels have also been adversely affected, with numerous indoor wedding receptions canceled.

After the number of (confirmed) cases surpassed 100, people began postponing wedding receptions, and some scheduled for June were canceled. From now until June, our banquet hall business is only 20 percent of the normal level. Losses have already exceeded NT$6 million.

People are avoiding social gatherings to effectively carry out social distancing, so many wedding receptions have been postponed or canceled. Businesses are hoping the epidemic situation will improve quickly to stem their losses.



穿著廚師服，一早就努力的整理攤子準備開店，但他原本的身分不是攤販，而是做外燴的總鋪師，近期因為武漢肺炎影響，外燴場紛紛被取消，只能到市場賣魯麵。

總鋪師 莊明錦表示：「像一些廟會也都取消，有的剩下辦5到6桌，我們廚師真的很慘，包括餐廳外燴，不知道要怎麼度過這個關卡，我也是，來這邊賣一些滷麵，度度關卡。」

光從3月到現在，就有400桌被延期或取消，再看看市場裡面，人潮稀稀疏疏，可見武漢肺炎疫情影響大。而且不只外燴沒生意，五星級酒店婚宴都在室內舉辦，影響層面也不小。

台南五星級酒店總經理 李靖文表示：「自從破百例(確診病例)之後的話，客人一直往後面，有到6月的婚宴也有被取消，那麼以目前為止的話，到6月分，我們宴會廳剩下的業績，只剩下20%，相關的(損失)金額，已經破6百多萬。」

民眾怕群聚是主要原因，讓婚宴被取消或延期的情形普遍，業者叫苦，只盼望疫情早點過去，損失趕緊止血。