TheJakartaPost
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Upscale restaurants and bars weather virus restrictions
They have had to get creative to stay in business during the pandemic.
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Victor Taborda, executive chef of Sudestada Argentinean Grill, mans the Sudestada Food Truck. (Sudestada Argentinean Grill/Courtesy of Sudestada Argentinean Grill)
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t’s 10 p.m. on a Saturday, and Reno, a marketing manager in his early thirties, would normally be hitting the Jakarta clubs with either friends or clients. But now, during the pandemic, he stays in his apartment accompanied by three friends sharing a bottle of whiskey and plentiful sticks of chicken satay after an afternoon of playing badminton. “Prior to the pandemic, we’d go to a restaurant to eat good steak,” says Reno. “Now that we can’t go to restaurants, ordering takeaway steak clearly isn’t the same experience.”
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, customers of the fancy restaurants and bars once favored by Jakarta’s upper and upper-middle classes has plummeted. Not only must restaurants operate at 50 percent of their normal capacity, frequent and sudden changes in regulations have kept restaurants and customers guessing about the permitted operational hours on a daily basis.
Jakarta’s nightlife is principally separated into two zones, each with a distinct style. The northern part of Jakarta is mainly known for its karaoke bars and the southern part for its glamourous restaurants and clubs to see and be seen in. The unofficial border between these two zones is the iconic Hotel Indonesia traffic circle monument. In the north, big name karaoke clubs are following government orders to shut down, but some smaller karaoke bars have been playing cat and mouse with the authorities. Meanwhile, the south is a mixed bag of closed nightclubs and open restaurants and bars.
One establishment that is currently open is Flow restaurant and bar. Located in Menara BTPN in Mega Kuningan, Flow is a popular hangout for Jakarta’s glitterati and has live music and DJs. Jimmy Minata, the club’s owner, said the pandemic had hit the nightlife scene significantly. He was not even thinking about turning a profit, just surviving and riding out the storm. Located in a business district, Flow is heavily reliant on office workers coming in after a long day of work. Unfortunately, the majority are now working from home.
“Although weekdays are slow, fortunately there are still some customers coming in on the weekend,” said Jimmy.
In early February, city officials discussed imposing strict lockdowns on weekends, but this has not occurred.
