FOLLOWING the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) announcement several nasi kandar restaurants have had to rethink or halt their operations, costing them a significant amount of money.
With Penang being known for its vibrant food scene, especially when it comes to nasi kandar, having a limited water supply can be a hindrance therefore some have decided to close down during the water cut or keep the premises open for takeaways only.
Harian Metro reported that the manager Deen’s Maju Nasi Kandar, Mohamed Ismail Seeni Mohamed, said that this is the first time the restaurant had to “take a break” due to the water cut. He estimated the restaurant to lose RM50,000 in sales during the closure.
“We need a lot of water, for instance, to wash 150 chickens and 200 kilograms of rice everyday not including the utensils and customer usage.
“If we remain open, we are afraid of issues that could arise from this issue because we ourselves are unsure of how much water is needed throughout that period of time,” Mohamed Ismail said.
The manager of Nasi Kandar Pokok Ketapang, Mohammad Uvas Mohammad Jamil, clarified that his team have decided beforehand to cease the eatery’s operation since the announcement of the four-day water cut.
Mohammad Uvas said that it would be challenging for the eatery to maintain a certain water level to run the restaurant without any inconveniences during the water cut.
Not only that, he also expected to lose up to RM30,000 in sales revenue when they close down.
“Therefore, we gave all 15 workers leave starting from Wednesday until this Sunday. At least we would not have a headache dealing with any water supply shortage,” he said.
Another well-known restaurant has decided to do things differently and continue on opening but for takeaways only.
Hameediyah Restaurant’s manager Shazwani Abdul Rahim said that the eatery is willing to spend RM18,000 to rent 30 water tanks with a capacity of 300 litres per tank costing RM600 each.
Meanwhile, the owner of Tea Kadai, Mohamed Rizwan Abdul Ghafoor Khan said the eatery will be using disposable plates and utensils and bottled mineral water throughout the duration of the water cut.
