The president of the Association of Restaurants and owner of the Scherezade Restaurant, Elizabeth Schecker, expressed her concern for the rising costs affecting restaurants. She said that most restauranteurs will choose not to pass on the more than doubling in the increase of the cost of propane gas to their customers, out of fear for reducing patronage. The elimination of the subsidy will significantly increase the cost of food preparation.
On the other hand, Johnny Bernal, the president of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (Asonahores), said that while his organization backs the removal of the subsidy to the sector, they are concerned about how the measure will particularly affect restaurants, especially at a time when the new tax reform is proposing an additional 4% to the ITBIS tax charged for food service. “It is possible that some will close, which is unfortunate because gastronomy is an important part of the tourism product,” he said.