Why closing restaurants is not only about business, but also about the loss of meaning

In the wake of recent disturbing news and reports about the decline of the restaurant market, I am increasingly coming across comments like: "a restaurant is not a priority", "no one needs it", "it's pampering". And my heart breaks with pain from such words .

Not because I romanticize this sphere, but because I know that behind every restaurant there is a huge ecosystem, hundreds of people, and meanings that we risk losing. That's why I sat down and decided to try to explain - not to justify, but to understand - what the restaurant market really is for countries around the world, and for us.

A restaurant is not just a place to eat. It is the final point of a long journey: from the land to the kitchen. At the heart of it are farmers, fishermen, producers, bakers, cheesemakers, berry pickers, logisticians, and technologists. These are the people who work every day to put meaning on your plate .

Next is the restaurant team. A chef who not only cooks but also creates new meanings. A manager who organizes the system. A designer who creates space. An architect, a supplier, an accountant, a sommelier, a barista, a marketer, a sms specialist, a restaurateur who invests.

This is not a "pompous story". This is a big industry. It provides food, creates jobs, launches production chains, and unites dozens of industries, from agriculture to IT. It is part of the economy. And a very serious one at that .

But this is not the only strength. Restaurants are also about culture. About how we live. How we communicate. How we feel. The experience of generations is passed on through food. Food is a language. And a restaurant is a stage.

You may have different tastes in culture or not be a fan of classic formats, but you've definitely eaten something that will be etched in your memory for life. And it is the restaurant industry that creates such emotions - from street food outlets to fine dining.

It's about authenticity, about market noise and the theater of taste that takes you out of your routine. It is about the ability to feel that you are seen, that you are important, that you have been taken care of. It's about hospitality .

In any country in the world, the level of gastronomic culture does not end with taste alone. It is primarily about the level of development. If a city has a choice, quality, and meaning, it means that it has life. Tourism, investment, international attention - all of this starts with something simple: a plate of food that impresses. People fly to countries for dinner. Food becomes a reason to love a city. Restaurants sell cities as well as architecture.

In France, it's baguette, croissant, pate. In Italy - mozzarella, prosciutto, pasta, olive oil, which are part of the national character. Entire nations are proud of their products and create a cult through the restaurant industry that glorifies them to the world, makes them interesting and necessary. And what about us? Can we be proud and develop our?

In Ukraine, the restaurant industry is one of the most daring. People work here who put their souls on the table every day. They build spaces where the modern Ukrainian identity can be heard. Through their creativity and vision. Through quality. Through depth. And this is our resource that we can and should be proud of .

Because if we lose this area, we will lose not only restaurants. We will lose connections. Farmers, markets, artisans, suppliers, architects, creatives, developers, new businesses will disappear. And a lot of people will lose the chance to realize themselves. This is a chain. If one link falls down, everything falls down.

And yes, restaurants are a place where you can exhale. They hold us emotionally. And that is why they are needed. Not instead of pharmacies, hospitals, or the Armed Forces. But alongside these important institutions. Because life is not just about surviving. It is also about living. And to remember who we are .

So the next time someone writes in a comment that "restaurants are not really needed" and the state decides to kill service, quality, style, and development because of a lack of understanding of the economic model and lack of dialogue, remember how many people are behind this plate. How many businesses are holding on. How much sense there is in every sleepless night of a manufacturer. How much emptiness we will leave to our descendants if we stop gastronomic creativity now.

And think about whether we really want to lose it.

Devaluing the restaurant industry is not only a disrespect for the work of hundreds of thousands of people across the country. It's also a dangerous misunderstanding that threatens to destroy an entire ecosystem that is as important an element of cultural identity as language or art .

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