The organized catering sector is expected to ask the government for horizontal support without discrimination at the meetings it plans in the next period in the first phase with Ministry of Environment and Energy. What the industry fears is a double whammy from rising energy and operating costs in general, as well as a possible reduction in consumption.

In particular, according to with information from Kathimerini, what will be proposed by the Hellenic Association of Caterers (EPOES), should give businesses in the sector the additional energy subsidy that was given to bakeries. The key argument, as market leaders point out, is that the boundaries between whether a bakery is a bakery or a restaurant business, such as cheese pies, sandwiches, and often drinks (coffee, natural juices, etc.), are indistinguishable. Recall that most of the companies represented by EPOES operate in these forms. EPOES members are networks Goody’s, Everest, Grigoris, Paul, Carpo, KFC, Dodoni, Coffee Island, Pizza Fan and TGI Fridays..

Electricity bills, even with subsidies, are 2.5 times higher than last year, the same executives say. What they fear is that after a very good summer season for their turnover, even in Athens, due to the growth in tourism, consumption will decrease due to increased household spending on energy and food. In particular, in non-tourist areas, sales are expected to decline over the next two weeks.

They assume that the same applies to businesses in this sector as to bakeries.

In addition to the request for an additional subsidy, a more “aggressive” strategy is being considered in terms of using existing tools for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources, while relevant scenarios are still being studied and developed.

These issues were discussed at a meeting of EPOC members last Tuesday, during which they expressed serious concerns about the impact of a sharp increase in the cost of energy on the operation and viability of enterprises. As they noted, after the pandemic storm hit the focus especially hard, the industry is now facing a “perfect storm.”