Support Independents or Risk No Diversity in Our City’s Food Businesses

19 year old Freselam Temesgen from The Real Hebesha Restaurant on Stapleton Road is appealing to the Bristol public to support independent restaurants in any way they can during the pandemic restrictions, or risk a food scene with little to no diversity in the future.

The Real Habesha is an Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurant based in Easton and is run by Freselam and her father. The restaurant has been in operation for over three years but closed during the first lockdown and once again finds its doors shut, with only takeaway on offer, due to Tier 3 restrictions.

Says Freselam Temesgen of The Real Habesha: “This year has been a very difficult one. As a family who rely on our restaurant for our income, the pandemic has presented real challenges. Prior to the pandemic The Real Habesha wasn’t just a restaurant but a place in our community where people got to learn more about each other and about the different cultures that exist in our city. My father and I have really missed being at the centre of that. We’ve really missed the connection with our regulars and those who try us for the first time.

Whilst my father and I are hopeful we will return to some form of normality and get back to serving again in 2021, my concern for Bristol is that if independent family run restaurants like ours can’t survive then the diversity of our city’s food scene will vanish. Already, the Bristol’s food scene does not truly represent the diversity of the city and instead of this improving in the years to come, I am worried this will go backwards. In my opinion diverse restaurants provide a great platform for people to learn about, appreciate and understand others and I don’t want to live in a city where this isn’t the case.

Further to that, independently run food businesses are much more likely to support the economy of the local area. For example, my father and I use two local shops, Bristol Sweet Mart and Istanbul Supermarket to buy fresh produce daily for the restaurant. This keeps the money in the community, helping it circulate locally for longer and therefore benefitting the area and people within it.

We’re set to lose a lot if we can’t find ways to support independent food businesses. So I’m calling on the people of Bristol, who are able, to order takeaways, to buy gift vouchers or to call on their MPs to do more to support independent hospitality businesses so that they exist when we come out the other side.”

Freselam’s comments were made as part of her engagement with a Bristol wide campaign called Bristol Bites Back Better, which aims to empower Bristolians to build a better and more sustainable food system – and one that ensures everyone has a say on the future of food in our city.

To find out more about Bristol Bites Back Better, visit: www.bristolbitesbackbetter.co.uk,