The debate is served in Spain. Should we bring forward the closure of restaurants as proposed by the Minister of Labor? Professionals are opposed to it.
In Spain, (Communist) Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz sparked a stir by suggesting that restaurants should close earlier. She said closing times were out of sync with the rest of Europe and proposed moving the closing forward by an hour.
“It is not reasonable that Spain is a country where meetings are called at 8 p.m. It is not reasonable that a country has its restaurants open until 1 a.m.,” insisted the minister.
Problem: the vast majority of restaurateurs, like hotel employees, would not support such an early closure.
“We have already lost customers with the pandemic and we have already shortened our hours, (with this project) we are only going to dedicate ourselves to paying taxes and receiving zero in return”jokes this restaurateur interviewed in Madrid.
Another professional says: “It often happens that the night saves us. If we close early, it will kill us.”
The president of hoteliers also rejects the early closure of restaurants, stressing that “the hotel industry in Spain is the envy of the world”.
“When you extend your hoursexplains José Luis Yzuel, you generate more jobs, you generate more staff, you generate more business, you generate more salary volume, yes, all of that is a good thing.”
In Spain, it is the autonomous communities (regions) which decide the opening hours of bars and restaurants.
For example, in Madrid, restaurants can open from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Restaurant owners can extend an additional half hour on Fridays, Saturdays and the day before public holidays.
As much as it is criticized, the proposal of the Minister of Labor nevertheless found the support of certain workers. “As someone who works in the hotel industry and has a family, this is beneficial to me,” said a waitress.