Qualitaly_119

OCT. NOV. 2020 I AT PAGE 1 We’re like lizards! While we are preparing to close the ‘autumn’ issue of our magazine, the news bouncing back and forth between the TV, the newspapers and the web isn’t at all comforting. The new Covid-19 epidemic wave is bringing our country to its knees once again. In this climate of great uncertainty, the mass media doesn’t help the situation. In order to sell a few more copies of their newspaper, or for a few more clicks in their digital versions, they cause an outcry with sensationalist headlines just like the one just a few days ago that read: ‘Coronavirus: vaccine trial, a volunteer dead in Brazil’. This news was absolutely false: the unfortunate volunteer had signed up for the trial but had not yet received the dose. I start from this introduction to make a broader consideration. The pandemic has completely changed our existence, we are all afraid and, of course, looking for reassurance. And in the meantime, what happens? Profit is to be made from pain, from fear ... and ambition isn’t put aside (and I refer to many politicians, maybe all of them), exhibitionism (virologists, infectious diseases experts and many doctors, now TV stars) or, a desire for celebrity, as many journalists have, those who play with false scoops, generating more and more anguish and a sense of loss. What is the truth? We must start from our own reality, we must create it ourselves, day by day. We need to learn to scale down (at least for a while) our long-term perspectives. It is good to build our working day tomorrow on the basis of certain information, such as those we ‘hosted’ on the front pages of our publication (pp. 6 and 7). Well, from a research conducted by the Quandoo platform, there were, in post-lockdown, several moments of growth that showed an increase in restaurant turnover compared to the same period of 2019. A fact that impressed me a lot. Although having to invest large sums to safeguard establishments (p. 20), albeit with all the limitations and difficulties in personnel management (provision of masks, maintaining distance between staff, maximum number of employees inside the kitchens - p. 24), although sometimes having to close the restaurant because there may have been a positive case inside (article p. 28) … the sector held its own, proving to be capable of a formidable recovery. It’s true, in the coming months we may have to make more sacrifices. But what I feel like saying to our customers is that the professional hospitality sector has incredible strength. Have you ever seen a lizard get its tail cut off? At first it remains motionless, pretending to be dead, but after a few moments, it recovers with incredible strength and in record time the tail magically regenerates itself. So, here is my wish. Some more, some less, we must try to AT PAGE 3 Nobody saves himself We parted ways last year - in the same period - with my speech which was intended to be a stimulus, an invitation for all CIC members to walk side-by- side trying, as much as possible, to exploit the opportunity of the strength of our Cooperative in knowing how to recognize the market situation in which we operate before others. Now, the current situation is clear to everyone. Continuing to point out that we are experiencing an apocalyptic scenario is of little use, only perhaps to throw everyone even more into despair. But I am from Abruzzo, hard-headed and, between earthquakes and floods, we have always shown that we are able to get back on our feet. So, let’s get practical. What future for our Cooperative and for our individual businesses? We will probably be called upon to make further sacrifices in the coming months. The DPCMs that are taking place from week to week are becoming harsher, and now as I am about to write this editorial, we are in a situation of partial lockdown after 11pm for various Italian regions. MAGAZINE Traduzione a cura di Christopher Farley