"1-Hour Extension Shows Minimal Effect"... Clubs' Self-Help Measure: Morning Operations

Around 10:30 PM on the 15th, a street near Gangnam Station was visited. At the closing time of multi-use facilities such as restaurants and cafes, the crowd quickly dispersed all at once.
Photo by Lee Jung-yoon

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[Asia Economy Reporters Seungyoon Song and Jeongyun Lee] Around 9:30 p.m. on the 15th near Gangnam Station in Seoul. It was the first day after the metropolitan area’s social distancing level was eased from 2.5 to 2, but the streets were quiet. Although business hours were extended by one hour from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m., the effect was minimal, contrary to expectations that customers would come. There were many restaurants and bars that hadn’t even opened. Some places closed early as if resigned, despite being allowed to operate until 10 p.m., just waiting for customers who never came.

Ji Mo (50), who runs a lamb skewer specialty restaurant near Gangnam Station, said, “For dinner service, the first customers usually come around 7 p.m., but the actual business hours are only three hours. Even though we can operate until 10 p.m., it’s not that more customers come; rather, customers who would drink for two hours just sit for three hours, so sales are not much different from before.” Park Mo (47), who runs a barbecue restaurant, also said, “The Gangnam Station area is a place that operates late into the night, so there’s no difference between closing at 9 or 10 p.m. They should at least allow us to stay open until midnight to make a living.”

Other industries also did not feel the effect of the one-hour extension in business hours. Kim Mo (51), who runs a convenience store, explained, “It only gets a little busy when customers come to buy cigarettes as bars close, but it’s quiet at other times.” Taxi driver Choi Mo (59), whom we met around 11:30 p.m. that day, said, “Until yesterday, I could only get some customers for about an hour from 9 p.m. when people were heading home. From today, the only difference is that the busy time starts at 10 p.m., but my income remains the same.”

Around 9:30 PM on the 15th, the streets near Gangnam Station in Seoul appeared quiet.
Photo by Lee Jung-yoon

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Some entertainment bars in Ganseok-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, a representative nightlife district, also opened after a long time. However, since they could only operate for about 2 to 3 hours, many places did not get a single customer. Entertainment facility owners welcomed the reopening itself but agreed that the characteristics of businesses operating during evening hours must be considered. Son Mo (57, female), who runs an entertainment bar in Ganseok-dong, said, “I opened the door with some hope because nearby businesses were opening, but it was all in vain. We need to observe the weekend situation a bit, but for places that have hired hostesses, opening might actually cause losses.” Members of the Korea Entertainment Food Service Association held a press conference in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, that afternoon, urging the establishment of realistic quarantine guidelines by industry and held a head-shaving ceremony.

Some industries devised self-help measures. About six famous clubs in Gangnam and Hongdae, Seoul, also resumed operations that day. However, they changed their policy to operate in the morning from 5 a.m., when restrictions are lifted, until noon. Instead of briefly operating during the evening, they decided to target the early morning and daytime hours. Normally, most clubs start admitting customers at 11 p.m. and operate until the next morning. A club official said, “On the first day of reopening, many customers who had been waiting for the opening came after hearing word of mouth. It seems like weekends might still be profitable, but we need to watch a bit longer to see if weekday business can be maintained as is.”

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