Consumers show mixed response to restaurant boycott call

ISTANBUL

The call for a boycott of restaurants and cafes due to exorbitant price increases has received a mixed response from consumers and business owners over the weekend.

Social media users initiated the boycott, which was scheduled to take place on April 20-21, to express their discontent with rising prices.

Venturing into cafes and restaurants in various areas in Istanbul, some establishments were noticeably empty while others had queues of customers awaiting service.

Luxury restaurants in Beşiktaş’s Akaretler area saw sporadically full tables. Similarly, alcoholic venues were deserted in the daytime but expecting reservations for the evening.

Cafes in Taksim appeared even more crowded, with long queues observed at some establishments.

Some business owners expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of the boycott call.

"Honestly, I don't think there will be a boycott. It's the weekend. Even though it is raining, many people are outside," said one restaurant owner in Beşiktaş.

Meanwhile, consumers expressed support for the boycott but found it to be lacking a solution.

"I am aware of the boycott call and I support it, but we will not go for two days, and then what will happen? Maybe awareness will be raised, but it needs to be sustainable," a citizen sitting with his friend at a cafe in Beşiktaş stated.

A waiter at a popular breakfast place in Ortaköy pointed out a sharp decline in customers.

While some attributed the relative emptiness to weather conditions. Barista Ali Uyanık said that it is normally difficult to find a place to sit in their shop on weekends, "But today it is calm. I think it is because the weather is cold... Not because of the boycott."