For some more expensive, for others impossible – when supply becomes a problem

Although the lack of chicken may not initially seem like a reason for closing restaurants, it appears that supply problems can be crucial for some. Thus, the well-known restaurant chain Nando’s was forced to close as many as 45 of its restaurants in the United Kingdom due to the inability to procure chicken for the preparation of the ‘peri-peri’ dishes for which they are known.

Nando’s is a South African multinational fast-food chain specializing in chicken dishes, with over 1,200 outlets in 30 countries. Their problems arose due to a lack of staff in supplier factories, which caused stock shortages in certain restaurants, making it impossible for them to prepare enough popular dishes from their menu.

CNN Business reports that Nando’s is trying to solve this problem by ‘borrowing’ as many as 70 members of its staff to supplier factories, hoping that this assistance could be sufficient to restart operations.

– Due to the lack of staff, the British food industry is experiencing disruptions, which has affected many of our restaurants in England, Scotland, and Wales – explained a Nando’s spokesperson.

CNN Business highlights that supply chains in the United Kingdom have generally been facing problems for some time due to various reasons. First of all, Brexit has particularly affected all suppliers, and in addition, the entire UK has been hit by a problem of staff shortages in production and delivery. Also, due to the corona crisis, special restrictions for workers have been introduced, further slowing down all procurement processes.

Lack of goods on the islands

However, supply problems are not unknown in Croatia either. Jutarnji reported at the beginning of the year about the problems that would arise with Brexit, and the corona crisis has also slowed down the delivery of goods, especially from China. First of all, Brexit has affected the speed of procuring products ordered from the United Kingdom to Croatia, and in addition, the costs of orders and deliveries have become more expensive. This, of course, affects restaurateurs who order goods from the United Kingdom, and one such example is the problem with the slower procurement of increasingly popular British premium tonic for gin.

Additionally, during the peak season on the Croatian coast, many restaurateurs on the islands find themselves in a more unfavorable position than others. As we learn, goods reach some islands less frequently, only twice a week, and prices in stores are generally higher, making such procurement not very profitable. For example, milk and lemons, which are constantly used in cafes, can be up to one hundred percent more expensive on the islands, and due to rare or incomplete deliveries, restaurateurs sometimes cannot offer guests the usual products.

Inability to procure from domestic producers

Mladen Križanović, a sushi master who had his own sushi production company for some time, also faced supply problems. His problem was specifically in procuring fish, mostly tuna, for making sushi from Croatian producers because he was too small a buyer. As a small restaurateur, he was not an interesting customer for Croatian tuna producers, who mostly export their products.

– The problem arose because the foreign market is obviously much more interesting to producers, so the domestic market is neglected. It is not even their fault because they obviously achieve better profit there due to better purchasing power and higher consumption, i.e., sales volume – explained Križanović.

Because of this, he was forced to find another solution to procure the basic ingredient for sushi production.

– In the end, this reflected in that I had to resort to frozen imported products of lower quality that did not meet my ambitions as a restaurateur nor the taste of my clients as consumers – added Križanović.

It is interesting to note that Croatia is a country that cannot independently supply itself for the needs of the tourist season, and due to uncertainty about how the season will look due to corona restrictions, many have calculated with orders and are now in trouble due to a lack of goods.

However, goods are not the only problem faced by restaurateurs in Croatia. Currently, there is also a chronic shortage of labor, which, in the midst of the ongoing season, becomes an additional problematic factor for restaurateurs in Croatia.