The owner of a Welsh restaurant has set out in detail the stifling reality of rising costs in the hospitality industry which he says may force him to close shortly after Christmas. Franco Scuto, 51, who runs Franco's Ristorante Vecchio Italian Restaurant in Bridgend and has been in the industry for almost 30 years, says things are getting more and more critical every day for restaurants as costs soar but no government help is forthcoming.
Franco shows how his electricity bill has shot up to £5,549.84 a month, with his gas bill also increasing to £2,104.26. And it's not just energy prices that have sky-rocketed: a case of peeled tomatoes has gone from £11.95 a unit to a whopping £41.20 in six months while cooking oil has increased to £36.99 from £19.99 in the same time period. He says that in order for him to keep his much-loved business afloat, he would have to increase the pricing of his menus drastically.
He said he'd have to charge £12 for a starter portion of asparagus, which is currently priced at £8.45, and £11.95 for his goats cheese starter, which is currently priced at £7.95: "I have to put £4 extra on a starter and then I have to put an £8 extra on a main course. That's just to survive," he says.
Read More: 'Energy bills at my small restaurant are going up 700% - that's unsustainable for us'
Speaking to Wales Online, Franco said: "I don't even know if I can open tomorrow. Have a look at my bills and they expect me to put the price up at the restaurant for the lasagna to £20 or a caprese salad for £10. How will you expect me to do that to my clients? I can never do that."
Franco, who says he works 16-hour days and is forced to come in on days off to make up for the financial shortfall, said he would expect to lose customers, with a meal out for a family of four potentially costing no less than £200 soon.
"Nobody can afford it," he said. "Everything has gone triple, everything. There's no way out if the government does nothing about it. They don't want any more small businesses because we cause too many problems for them. They want big franchises - no problem for them. Just tell us 'Look, we can't help you'. Just be honest. Be honest. have the guts to tell us 'We can't help you'. So at least we know. Honestly, I don't really know what is gonna happen tomorrow. We just live day by day because at the end of the day, next month in October if I'm going to have another like £8,000-9,000 to pay, where am I going to get this money from?"
He went on: "What I have to do [is] keep all the electric off and the gas. As soon as I have the first four people walking in, I put the heating on and the gas, and we start cooking. That's what they expect us to do. The way things are going, we aren't going to survive. So, I'm begging you, all my colleagues in England, everywhere, when we put these things online today please, share with your friends, family, with everybody. This is the reality, what we're living today."
Franco has four full-time members of staff who he says he will not consider paying less: "I can't say to my chef 'Tomorrow I'm going to give you half of the wages because the electric bill is going up'. It is a really bad situation. You can't blame us. You can't come to us whingeing to say the price is going up. I will show you the price: £5,000 electric. This is disgusting. This is terrible. This government don't do nothing [for us]. The government help these people [the energy companies]."
He went on to urge the public to show their own anger about the situation and called for the government, who he says is not fit to run the country, to "wake up and smell the reality. We do need the help. Don't take your time, just do it now. Because you need to help us. Do something about it and help us."
Fans of the restaurant, soon after Franco posted a video to Facebook which has now been shared over 24,000 times, flooded the comments with messages of support and well wishes.
Carol Moon wrote: "Shared. This is so appalling, Franco, you are so hard working. Always great food and wonderful service."
Pat Chapman said: "Shared, Franco - that really was from the heart, it’s just awful at the moment. Hospitality has had a dreadful two to three years. Really hope you and other restaurants get the support you deserve x".
Rosemary Ripley wrote: "Franco, this is devastating. You have a wonderful restaurant in every respect, and your message is absolutely heartbreaking. I do hope you survive - Bridgend would be a much sadder place without you."
Franco's plea comes after popular Spanish tapas restaurant Bar44 shared its "mind-blowing" annual electricity bill of £500,00 across its five sites. Franco's business is just one of the many throughout Wales which has felt the impact of the cost of living crisis. In the last few months, Cardiff has seen a large number of independent restaurants being forced to close their doors because of rising energy costs and the VAT returning to 20%. Franco said: "I think it is gonna get worse before it's gonna get better, honestly."
Il Vecchio can be located at 2A Queen Street, Bridgend CF31 1HX. For more information, see the Facebook page.
READ NEXT:
- I asked people on the streets how they're coping and was met with terrified voices
- We bought the same shopping list at seven major supermarkets and the cost has gone up everywhere
- Britain on course for staggering £26bn mortgage hike, think tank predicts
- Restaurants struggling for survival take last resort tactics including switching off lights early
- TikTok user who lived without heating for four years shares bizarre brick trick to help keep warm
