On Thursday, the government issued a new resolution on the sale of beverages. It banned the sale of bottled or on-site beverages for immediate consumption outside its interior. Minister of Health Jan Blatný (for YES) said on Friday that the aim of the regulation is to prevent people from walking around the Christmas markets and on the streets with cups and food.
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According to him, the measure does not apply to sales through a car window. In the evening, the Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček (for YES) told Czech Radio Radiožurnál that it is possible to buy a drink with you and take it home or to the office, but it must not be consumed immediately after purchase.
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Cafes in the center of Prague prepare drinks in cups, customers do not warn that they are only allowed to drink them in the car, office or at home. The queue was formed in the afternoon on the Old Town Square with the sale of mulled wine in small bottles. People enthusiastically took pictures with them and calmly drank their favorite Christmas drink while walking through Prague.
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The owners of Prague’s SmetanaQ Café & Bistro, Petra and Jozef Onderk, consider the ban on selling drinks to be absurd. “To stay healthy, you need to move in the fresh air, at least a little sun, and in this winter we need to warm up outside – for example, with a cup of good coffee, which also puts us in a positive mood. In our opinion, coffee only in the car again only favors certain multinational chains. And the idea of bringing cold coffee home after a long time probably doesn’t even make sense to comment, “they said.
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At the same time, they pointed out that if the government decided to close the restaurants again and only sales through windows would be possible, coffee would remain the main item for SmetanaQ, food is in second place in sales, they added.
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According to Petr Ogurčák from the Prague bistro Etapa, people who take coffee with them almost always take it to their car, office or home. If they want to drink coffee right away, they’ll sit at the business, he said. According to its spokesperson Eva Kotýnková, the Tchibo chain is following the events and waiting for the situation to be clarified.
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According to its operating director Jiří Štěpánek, the Boulevard Bageterie network did not introduce any major changes in the event of a ban on the sale of beverages. Iced ice or fresh tea is also offered in resealable bottles as standard. The hot drinks in the cups are now automatically covered by a lid and fitted with a thermoregulatory holder so that they are ready to be taken with you. At least, the regulation is perceived as ill-conceived and in some cases counterproductive.
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“Recently, for example, we introduced a seasonal novelty in the form of a hot vitamin drink to support immunity. With this regulation, however, it loses its meaning. This restriction will exacerbate the already significant losses of cafes and restaurants, because no one wants to buy a hot drink at home, which will cool them down along the way, “he said.
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According to Igor Třeslín, director of Storyous, which supplies technology and cash register systems to gastronomic companies, the government is unfair to the gastronomic industry. According to him, restaurants and other companies are doing their best to innovate, adjust the offer and reach customers. “The government is bringing the site down to the ground,” he said. For cafes, selling coffee from the window has been the only way to make a living in recent months, and now they will lose this income, he said.
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