Pirata Group: A Message from the CEO
Dear Guests,
We hope this letter finds you well, safe and hopefully positively minded about the times we`re living in this wonderful city of ours. It`s very easy to forget how lucky we are when things don`t go our way.
We believe mental health is equally important as our physical health, and we must do everything in our hands to maintain sanity, positivity and forward-thinking in the days and weeks ahead.
We`ve been given a once in a lifetime opportunity to recalibrate what is important. Perhaps take the opportunity to do things we couldn`t have done before and look after the people around us with greater empathy and gratitude.
As covid cases continue to rise over our beloved city, in the past couple of weeks we`ve had cases at The Pizza Project – Wan Chai, TokyoLima, La Favorita and The Optimist. In addition, we`ve had to close other restaurants for deep cleaning and disinfection due to other scenarios such as close contact, news of a preliminary positive, or pre-shift positive on a rapid antigen test.
As a business, it`s an understatement to say it`s not easy being hit with a fresh set of challenges early this year after having just opened 10 restaurants last year. But beyond what we can measure on our financials, there`s an individual impact to every Pirate.
In these uncertain times, we go back to what we`ve believed all along:
Team comes first.
We are nothing without our people.
When we look after our Pirates first and foremost, they look well after you – our beloved guests. Then the business naturally follows, as circumstances improve. We`re committed to a long term outlook with you and with Hong Kong.
Over the coming days, you may find that your favourite Pirata Group restaurant is temporarily closed. When one of our restaurants has a probable case, we immediately undergo a cycle of deep cleaning and disinfection by Ecolab. In addition to a PCR test at a mandated government facility, all team members must also receive a negative result on a rapid antigen test before resuming their duties.
We`re doing these not only in response to government guidelines but more so to protect the safety, health and wellbeing of those in our care.
As scenarios that need to be covered increase by the day, so do probabilities we need to plan for. We may not always know what we`re doing, but we`re learning together every day.
We are natural-born optimists.
Things will get better.
Sincerely,
Manuel Palacio
CEO & Co-Founder
