Working in a restaurant is a free job.
That's what I thought.
If you meet the requirements of the health center and the fire department, you are free to do as you please. You can express your individuality without feeling pressured.
In Japan, the barriers to opening a restaurant are lower than in other countries, making it easy for many people to try their hand at the restaurant business. As a result, there is a wide variety of business types and price ranges. This creates a free and open atmosphere and makes the town more fun. Of course, if there is food poisoning, the business will be suspended, but for other reasons, the government rarely tells the business to close. Or so I thought.
So, even with the current coronavirus outbreak, this is what I thought about the "Aichi Prefecture request to suspend business operations."
"I understand, that's a request. I'll examine the various information in my own way and decide whether or not to comply with the request. That's up to you."
and.
I was stupid.
You are certainly free to do so. There are no penalties for not complying with the request.
However, I later found out that "anyone who does not comply with the request will be fined 500,000 yen." If you know that, of course you will comply.
Currently, Aichi Prefecture is accepting applications for the COVID-19 Countermeasures Cooperation Fund for businesses that meet certain requirements (until the end of June). If you can prove that you cooperated, you can receive 500,000 yen. I am currently in the process of applying.
The problem is the requirements for receiving the contribution. I saw this on the website and it made me break out in a cold sweat .
The fourth item reads:
"We were closed or had reduced business hours for all days of the requested closure period from April 17th (Friday) to May 6th (Wednesday)."
Seriously!!!
Twoeeee
I quickly checked Bokumo and Rockmo's business calendars. When was it? When did we stop operating as a restaurant?!?!?!?!?!?!
Umm...
It starts on Saturday, April 18th! I can't get the 500,000 yen!
Twoeeee
I see... this is like a fine. People who do not immediately comply with the prefecture's request will not be paid. Compared to the good people next to them, they will be penalized 500,000 yen less. It's your fault for not complying. That's what it means.
But wait a minute. Let's calm down a bit.
Why did I take a break from work starting on the 18th (Sat)? Let's organize the timeline.
April 16 (Thursday)
The state of emergency was expanded nationwide. Aichi Prefecture was designated as a "special alert prefecture." Aichi Prefecture then issued a request to restaurants to "close or shorten their hours."
Apparently. Yes, I didn't know this at the time!
Monday, April 20
The "Aichi Prefecture Emergency Measures" issued on April 10th have been revised and the Aichi Prefecture website has been updated.
There...
The following provision was added: "Facilities and other entities with a high risk of infection and who are likely to be the cause of the spread of infection will be requested to close for 20 days from Friday, April 17th to Wednesday, May 6th."
In other words, it was only on the 20th that they made it clear that "we told you to take time off from the 17th."
By the way, what was I doing on the 16th (Thursday), the day the state of emergency was declared nationwide?
I look at the calendar and think back.
That's right, during the day, I drove to the Aichi Prefectural Tax Office to get the documents to be attached to the temporary liquor sales license, and then to the Nagoya City Tax Office. After leaving the car at home, I went to work by bicycle. I worked until midnight preparing to sell wine in the store. I don't think I watched TV all day, and I didn't check the Aichi Prefectural website.
Apparently, on this day, Aichi Prefecture issued a request for restaurants to close from the 17th. The day after the state of emergency was declared, I decided that I had to do something. So, on the 17th, I decided to accept as many customers as possible, reduce my inventory, and close from the 18th.
Then, in May, I found out that the Aichi Prefecture website clearly stated that "they said they had requested businesses to close from April 17th to May 6th." And then, even later (now) , I found out that "if we hadn't closed from the 17th, we wouldn't have received the 500,000 yen."
Seriously?
If that's the case, couldn't they have just said from the beginning , "We will pay 500,000 yen to businesses that meet these requirements, so please close from April 17th to May 6th" ?
Someone like me who happened to miss the announcement by a day won't get the 500,000 yen. In other words, "not getting the 500,000 yen I should have received" for "overlooking the crime" is the same as "paying a 500,000 yen fine"!!!
I was depressed.
That's because, as I mentioned earlier, restaurants always have inventory. If they suddenly stop operating, the inventory they have prepared up until that point becomes dead stock and is wasted. This puts a lot of pressure on management. So, before going on a long holiday, we always adjust our inventory and calculate so that the majority of our products are sold out.
Of course, we thought it was getting dangerous to continue business in this situation, and since we hardly had any customers in the first place, we didn't have a large amount of inventory. However, we need a period of inventory adjustment. We also have draft beer. We also have wine bottles open for glass wine. So we were open on the 17th (only two people came, but they ate and drank well, so we were very grateful), and from the 18th we stopped serving food and switched to selling bento boxes and wine.
So that's a loss of 500,000 yen...
500,000 yen is not enough at all, but it still makes a difference whether you have it or not...
With my head hanging down, I turned my attention to the disclaimer that followed.
"On Friday, April 17, business may still be conducted, taking into account the need for preparation and adjustment."
What!!! Seriously?! It's OK to do it on the 17th!
50,000 yen! 100,000 yen at two stores, Bokumo and Rockmo!
It's just a little bit, but it helps!
I read more carefully.
Each business can only apply once, even if they have multiple target establishments or stores.
.... 50 million yen.
It was like a roller coaster, with ups and downs and ups.
...No, this is no time to be happy.
For the time being, business on the 17th is considered okay just in case. I was truly relieved by this. There is an employee of Aichi Prefecture who can use his imagination to say, "Restaurants have a hard time with inventory." I'm sure that person's family runs the restaurant business, and he saw his father struggling to adjust inventory before the Obon holidays. You're great for using your observation skills here. You, the son of a restaurant owner, said in the meeting, "Let's make the 17th okay." I'd like to buy you a glass of wine. I'm glad you're in Aichi Prefecture!
Whew, I'm feeling a bit tired.
Since this incident, I have become very sensitive about any "requests" issued by the national government or Aichi Prefecture.
Even if I don't have anything to do, I still check the websites of the Cabinet Secretariat, Aichi Prefecture, and Nagoya City. I check for new announcements, nervous that I might miss something and be punished.
I wonder if I am free to do such things at a restaurant. Where did my freedom go? (laughs)
