Since the spread of the new coronavirus, industry groups have summarized the results of a survey that major restaurant chains have borrowed from financial institutions in a short period of time for working capital, etc., more than four times as much as before the expansion of coronavirus. I did.

The group has argued that the state of emergency, which calls for shorter business hours, is a matter of life and death for major chains.

Last month, the Japan Food Service Association, which is made by a major restaurant chain, investigated changes in the amount of borrowings from banks, etc., based on the securities reports of 59 member companies.



According to this, short-term borrowings with a repayment deadline of one year or less totaled 78.4 billion yen at the time when each company summarized the settlement of accounts between December and March last year before the full-scale impact of Corona. However, after that, it was found that the total up to October last year, which reflected the influence of the corona, was 365.6 billion yen, an increase of 4.6 times.



The association believes that most of the borrowed money was used for working capital such as rent and labor costs, but if the debt grows, it may be difficult to raise funds thereafter, and the association is concerned about the impact on the management of each company. I will.



Also, in this state of emergency, major chains are not covered by the cooperation fee due to the request for time saving in Tokyo, but the association says that the burden of rent etc. in the restaurant industry has reached the limit, and the scale is large and small. Regardless, major companies are also asking the government to be eligible for cooperation.



Yasumasa Akatsuka, chairman of the Japan Food Service Association, said, "The second emergency declaration has exhausted the company's reserves, and even major companies have become a vital issue in management."

Some restaurant chains continue to operate without getting cooperation money in Tokyo

Among the restaurant chains that operate in 1 metropolitan area and 3 prefectures, in Kanagawa prefecture, where short-time business cooperation money is provided, we will close or shorten business hours, but in Tokyo, we will not be able to obtain cooperation money. Some companies have no choice but to continue business after 8 pm because the situation gets worse.



The Ikka Dining Project, a izakaya chain with 70 stores in 1 metropolitan area and 3 prefectures, shortens or closes its business by 8 pm at stores in Kanagawa prefecture, while 30 stores in Tokyo after 8 pm Is still in business.



In this company, one store in three prefectures such as Kanagawa prefecture, 60,000 yen per day is paid, while in Tokyo, the target of the cooperation fund for short-time sales is 50 million yen or less in capital or 50 employees or less. Limited to small and medium-sized enterprises, this company does not meet the conditions and is considered to be a large enterprise, so no cooperation fee is received.

For this reason, the business performance will worsen if nothing is done, and we have no choice but to continue business in Tokyo.



The company closed the store at the time of the last state of emergency and the sales became almost zero, and borrowed 2.1 billion yen from a financial institution for the subsequent cash flow.



After the declaration was lifted, sales were expected to recover toward the end of the year, but the infection did not converge and the deficit continued, and we faced a second state of emergency.

Under such circumstances, financial institutions are cautious about lending even if they try to increase borrowing, and even major companies are complaining that it is difficult to raise funds.



Regarding the fact that the target of cooperation money is limited to small and medium-sized enterprises, a person in charge of Tokyo told NHK that "Large companies have relatively financial power and it is easy to raise funds through negotiations with financial institutions, but small and medium-sized enterprises Because the business environment is more difficult for individuals. "



Taro Takenaga, president of this company, said, "There may be more stores than small and medium-sized enterprises, but large enterprises are in a difficult situation as well. We have to continue business to protect our employees and business partners." I'm talking.