Association wants new rules to support small eateries

The Macau Association of Fine Cuisine Merchants has advocated supporting the newly submitted “Catering and Related Establishment Business Law” while proposing specific optimizations to ensure the legislation does not place undue burden on small and traditional eateries.

The bill, currently under legislative review, aims to streamline licensing through a unified “catering establishment” classification and a new registration system for small venues.

Association president Ho Chi Kit identified several technical requirements that could threaten the viability of older, smaller shops.

A key concern is a proposed minimum ceiling height of approximately 2.2 meters for installing seating, which would prohibit many ground-floor shops in older buildings from offering dine-in services.

The proposed requirement for wider seat-to-seat spacing may force small eateries to reduce capacity.

The chamber recommends allowing more flexible seating arrangements, similar to practices in Hong Kong, to maximize economic efficiency without compromising safety.

In addition, they recommend replacing this rigid standard with a risk-based assessment, allowing seating provided that ventilation, fire safety, and escape routes meet safety standards.

Another suggestion from the chamber is flexible, tiered aisle width requirements based on shop size rather than a one-size-fits-all rule.

The chamber advocates consolidating existing license categories into a single “catering establishment” license and creating a registration system for small dining venues.

This would shorten preparation time and alleviate the pressure of obtaining various licenses, improving convenience for business owners.

The chamber also urges the government and legislators to incorporate more flexibility into the detailed rules and to adopt an educational, guidance-based approach during the initial enforcement phase.

The objective is to create a regulatory framework that safeguards public health without eroding the city’s unique culture found in SMEs. Ricaela Diputado