Abu Dhabi: Restaurants and cafeterias in Abu Dhabi have increased their prices by as much as 37% in the recent period, consumers said, including meals, sandwiches, drinks, fresh juices and bottles of water.

They explained to Emirates Today that a number of restaurants also circumvent the prices of some meals by reducing the size of the meal and reducing the quantities, demanding censorship and imposing fines on violators.

At a time when two managers at two restaurants in Abu Dhabi said that restaurants had to raise the prices of some items of limited value, due to the high prices of some raw materials used in meals and high cost of supply, the Ministry of Economy confirmed that it did not give any restaurant or cafeteria in the emirate, an official approval to To raise prices.

Increase prices

In detail, consumer Hamed Abdullah said that several restaurants in Abu Dhabi raised the prices of their meals by up to 25%, especially meat dishes, chicken, grills, bath and pies, explaining that the prices of some of these dishes, for example, rose from 40 to 50 dirhams, and 45 to 50 AED 25% and 11% increase, respectively.

He explained that these shops are based on the fact that the increase does not exceed a few dirhams, and will not be felt by the consumer, but it, compared to the old price, will be a significant increase.

He pointed out that other stores maintained the price level, but reduced the quantities significantly, especially fast food restaurants, so that the size became as large as the average size, and the average size such as small size.

He called for censorship and fines for violators, in order to force them to return to the approved prices, for not increasing the burden on consumers.

Consumers Iman Matar said that she noticed a significant rise in the prices of many restaurants, cafeterias and juice shops in Abu Dhabi during the recent period, pointing out that the rise mainly affected the prices of some items that are included in the components of meat and chicken as well as fresh juices.

She explained that the prices of meals «burgers», for example, rose from 35 to 45 dirhams, an increase of more than 28%, and the prices of varieties of pasta with meat in restaurants from 28 to 35 dirhams, an increase of 25%, and prices of dishes of meat and chicken Between 20 and 25%, restaurants and cafeterias specializing in juices have increased their prices by up to 20%.

She pointed out that there is a circumvention of prices, by introducing dishes with new names that are quite similar to the old meals, with very simple additions, and put them in the price list in color and large size, to entice consumers to buy them.

Inas Abdul Rahim said that several restaurants in Abu Dhabi have recently raised their prices without any justification, pointing out that restaurants have raised the prices of the sandwich «burgers» from 12 to 15 dirhams, an increase of 25%, as well as some shops (shawarma) that raised The price of a sandwich (chicken shawarma), for example, from 12 to 14.5 dirhams, and (meat shawerma) to 16.5 dirhams, up between 21 and 37.5%.

She explained that other restaurants did not raise prices, but they have reduced the size of the sandwich, and reduce the size of meals significantly, which means in the end raise prices indirectly. It called for strict censorship and fines for violators of restaurants, so as to reverse the increase in prices, and so that the rest of the restaurants do not raise their prices, which puts pressure on the budget of consumers.

The consumer Ahmed Al-Laithi said that there is a rise in the prices of restaurants and cafeterias for drinks and juices in a remarkable and unjustified, pointing out that restaurants and cafeterias specializing in the provision of beverages and fresh juices raised the prices of varieties of coffee and juices by up to 20%, also increased the price (Karak tea) from AED to Two dirhams.

He said that famous restaurants, especially some fast-food restaurants, have introduced new meals almost no different from the existing meals, except in marginal additions and has raised their prices by more than 20%, compared to the old meals. Ashraf Samir said that besides the high prices of some meals and the reduction in the size of other meals, there was also a rise in the price of bottled water sold in food courts in all commercial centers in Abu Dhabi, at a flat price of three dirhams, but he was surprised by a restaurant selling it for 4.5 An increase of 50% without justification.

Limited height

"Restaurants have had to raise the prices of some items for a few dirhams as a result of the rise in the prices of some raw materials used in meals and the high cost of supply," said Mohammed Masood, the manager in charge of a restaurant in Abu Dhabi.

The official director of a restaurant, Ghulam Abdul Qadir, that «the recent period has witnessed fluctuations in the prices of some imported materials, due to specific circumstances in some of these countries, which forced restaurants to raise prices».

The basic elements

"There is no justification for high prices, because the three basic elements that control prices support stability, if not lower prices," said Ibrahim al-Bahr, a retail expert in the country.

Al-Bahar said that property prices and rental values ​​in Abu Dhabi have fallen by more than 30% in the past three years, as well as oil prices, as well as the strength of the dirham against other currencies, which helps reduce the cost of supply and make profits by taking advantage of the price difference.

He considered that the main reason was the weak control of the markets, which encouraged the unjustified rise in prices.

Retail expert Davy Nagpal agreed with his predecessor that there was no justification for the current period of high prices, with rents and oil in particular declining, calling for tighter controls to verify not only the lack of price increases, but also to counter circumvention by some restaurants The meal, or the addition of new meals is quite similar to the old ones, but at a different price.

Dr. Hashem Al-Naimi, Director of Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy, said that the ministry did not give any restaurant or cafeteria in the emirate an official approval to raise prices, calling on restaurants not to increase the prices of meals and drinks without the official approval of the Higher Committee for Consumer Protection. He stressed that no approval had been issued by the Committee in this regard. He warned that the Consumer Protection Law stipulates that any party that raises prices without approval will be fined between AED 5000 and 100,000, according to the violation, with closure in case of repeated violation.

Complaints

The Director of Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy, Dr. Hashem Al-Naimi, called on consumers to submit complaints to the ministry and the Department of Economic Development against restaurants that increase prices, to take the necessary measures to control markets, pointing out that all lists of prices of meals and drinks in restaurants will be reviewed and compared with prices earlier From this year.