WILLEMSTAD – The Curaçao Restaurant Association (CRA) is calling on the government to provide compensation or temporary relief measures following increases in fuel, electricity and water prices, warning that restaurants are already struggling with significantly higher ingredient costs.
According to the industry association, the latest increases in utility and fuel rates come on top of food purchasing costs that have already risen by more than 20 percent.
The CRA says restaurants cannot simply pass all of these additional expenses on to customers by raising menu prices.
The organization warns that continued price increases could have consequences on two fronts. Higher restaurant prices could discourage Curaçao residents from dining out, while at the same time making the island more expensive for international visitors.
For an economy heavily dependent on tourism, the association believes maintaining competitive prices in the hospitality sector is particularly important.
The CRA has therefore requested an urgent meeting with Minister of Economic Development Roderick Middelhof to discuss possible temporary measures to ease the financial pressure on restaurants.
The organization wants the government and the sector to examine what form of compensation or other relief could be introduced to help businesses absorb the latest increases without having to transfer the full cost to consumers.
The request comes as businesses and households across Curaçao face higher costs for several basic necessities at the same time. For restaurants, increases in electricity, water and fuel can have a particularly broad impact because these costs affect food preparation, refrigeration, cleaning, transportation and other daily operations.
The CRA is now awaiting discussions with Middelhof on what measures, if any, the government could offer the sector.