Shop owners deeply affected by shisha ban

Coffee shop owners and investors have expressed widespread resentment since the implementation of the shisha ban was put into effect and which has since limited café owners to serving tea, refreshments and snacks.
The Ministry of Interior issued the ban following a royal decree that had previously been ordered on this front.
The Mayoralty of Jeddah has since taken on the task of ensuring that shops inside the city comply with the ban and that shisha only be smoked outside city parameters in non-residential areas.
Owners of restaurants and cafes have complained that the decision was sudden and that it came without warning in the space of a week where they should have been given a grace period of three to six months.
Arab News visited some cafes in the city to get a better idea of the repercussions faced by businessmen. Reporters found visitors being served shisha and openly smoking cigarettes inside the building. Newsmen approached waiters to ask why the ban had not yet been implemented but they refused to speak or give the name of the shop owner, in addition to refusing permission to take photos of the café.
Reporters asked once again about their continuing to serve shisha and they answered that they have not been formally informed of the ban and as such have no reason to deprive local customers of their usual orders.
Reporters then asked if they fear being caught and fined for not complying with the ban, the owner affirmed that he would stop allowing any form of smoke-related products only when they receive official notification that they are no longer allowed to serve it. He added that they expect to incur losses of up to half a million Saudi riyals.
Hussam Jamal, a Lebanese investor in a chain of restaurants in Jeddah, said that the recent decision is in itself and of itself a sound one but echoed other café owners in saying that a five- to six-month grace period should have been allowed.
“As foreigners, we put in everything we have into these businesses to get an adequate return on investment.”
He added that the decision does not clarify whether or not smoking cigarettes is included. “We had customers smoking cigarettes a few days back both inside and outside the café. It turns out there was a hidden inspector taking note of the violation who then issued a SR 600 fine.”
Khaled Al-Madini, owner of a café north of Jeddah, said the decision was the right one “because it aims to preserve public health.” He only calls for a grace period to pay off his loan.
Lawyer Ahmad Alkhaled Al-Sudairi said the Mayor’s Office should either reverse its decision or compensate the losing shop owners and payoff their loans.
He previously told the Arab News that said Mayor’s Office cannot legally close shops that started their business before the ban. Serving shisha at these shops is important for owners to cover their investment, not to mention paying off the loans many of them have taken from banks to help them establish their businesses, Al-Sudairi said.
“If the reason behind the decision is to combat pollution, the smoke emitted from one diesel vehicle is equivalent to that of a thousand shishas. Smoking shisha is a custom we’ve had for years and banning it is annoying to people who have no cinemas, no theaters and no parks to go to,” Al-Sudairi said.
One shop owner has said that 90 percent of his visitors came from Riyadh since they are banned from smoking shisha in the capital.
Jeddah Mayoralty spokesman Abdulaziz Al-Naharihas reaffirmed that this decision, coming from the Ministry of Interior, shall be implemented on 232 coffee shops across the city and that rigorous investigation shall be carried out to ensure sustained implementation of the law.
Restaurants and cafes could face an 80 percent drop in their revenue. These cafes would make a daily revenue of SR 7,000 to SR 10,000 from shisha.
The ban has only recently been enforced, with Riyadh and other cities having implemented this years ago. Shisha lovers now have to drive to cafes outside the city to smoke as the decision also applies to residential areas.
Al-Nahari said this is an application of the ministry of interior’s decision to protect public health and that such measures have been applied internationally.
Arwa Al-Ama, assistant mayor for ladies section affairs, announced recently that women inspectors will canvas family sections and beauty shops for violatorsl
“There are 17 inspectors in eight teams doing field visits on daily basis to monitor the violating shops,” Al-Ama said.
The inspecting team spotted number of violations since the start of the ban, said Al-Ama. She added that the violators were fined according to the law.
Each team is consisting of two inspectors. Each team is covering specific area in Jeddah. They inspect shops under the mayoralty’s supervision.