ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Due to high prices of food and drinks, a large number of people in Istanbul and other parts of Turkey have launched a campaign to boycott restaurants and cafes, accusing business owners of opportunism amid a severe economic crisis plaguing the nation.
The call to boycott cafes and restaurants was warmly welcomed by the public.
In Istanbul and several other Turkish cities, this boycott has greatly impacted cafes and restaurants.
Rudaw's Rawin Sterk spoke with tradesmen and business owners whose stores saw almost no customers in the past week. They too complained about high expenses of primary products and ingredients, as well as the lack of government plans to resolve the financial issues that the nation goes through.
Muharram Kara, a restaurant owner in Istanbul said he understands people's anger, accusing the government of failing to address the economic downturn.
"I see that the people are right. It is very good that people are expressing their anger. However, prices at our restaurant are cheap. Once again, the nation is right, and the problem is the government that cannot manage the economy. The price of everything is increasing every day. Today, a kilo of meat has become 750-800 liras. At this point, people cannot afford it," Kara said.
The owners of cafes and restaurants claim they are not responsible for the current crisis and that they cannot help to solve it.
"I was shocked when I heard about the boycott," Ahmet Keklik, another business owner said. "Protesting the restaurants alone does not solve the issue. The prices are indeed high, but the items that we buy are also expensive. We are also sick and complaining about the prices of items we buy for our restaurant."
Mehmet Tence, an Istanbul resident echoed the sentiment that price hikes and inflation have taken a daunting toll on the nation.
"Everything is becoming more expensive every day, but people's income is not increasing. If people’s income increased, the problem would not arise, but there is no glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel," Tence complained.
The owners of cafes and restaurants say they are not responsible for the current crisis and they cannot help to solve it.
Today the price of a typical meal at the average restaurant is at least 350-400 lira.
Turkey has been suffering from a deteriorating economy over the past few years, with inflation standing over 65 percent.
The latest data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shows that Turkey’s food inflation in February reached 71.1 percent, 13 times higher than the average of 38 OECD countries. According to the organization the figure has increased by 18.6 percent since May 2023.
The call to boycott cafes and restaurants was warmly welcomed by the public.
In Istanbul and several other Turkish cities, this boycott has greatly impacted cafes and restaurants.
Rudaw's Rawin Sterk spoke with tradesmen and business owners whose stores saw almost no customers in the past week. They too complained about high expenses of primary products and ingredients, as well as the lack of government plans to resolve the financial issues that the nation goes through.
Muharram Kara, a restaurant owner in Istanbul said he understands people's anger, accusing the government of failing to address the economic downturn.
"I see that the people are right. It is very good that people are expressing their anger. However, prices at our restaurant are cheap. Once again, the nation is right, and the problem is the government that cannot manage the economy. The price of everything is increasing every day. Today, a kilo of meat has become 750-800 liras. At this point, people cannot afford it," Kara said.
The owners of cafes and restaurants claim they are not responsible for the current crisis and that they cannot help to solve it.
"I was shocked when I heard about the boycott," Ahmet Keklik, another business owner said. "Protesting the restaurants alone does not solve the issue. The prices are indeed high, but the items that we buy are also expensive. We are also sick and complaining about the prices of items we buy for our restaurant."
Mehmet Tence, an Istanbul resident echoed the sentiment that price hikes and inflation have taken a daunting toll on the nation.
"Everything is becoming more expensive every day, but people's income is not increasing. If people’s income increased, the problem would not arise, but there is no glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel," Tence complained.
The owners of cafes and restaurants say they are not responsible for the current crisis and they cannot help to solve it.
Today the price of a typical meal at the average restaurant is at least 350-400 lira.
Turkey has been suffering from a deteriorating economy over the past few years, with inflation standing over 65 percent.
The latest data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shows that Turkey’s food inflation in February reached 71.1 percent, 13 times higher than the average of 38 OECD countries. According to the organization the figure has increased by 18.6 percent since May 2023.
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