Food retailers and suppliers across the country have started witnessing brisk business and a rise in orders and sales as the start of the holy month of Ramadan has pushed up the demand for their products.
According to a report in local Arabic daily Arrayah, popular catering facilities (or kitchens) have extended their working hours to cater to the increasing demand from various types of customers - individuals, charities, philanthropists and families.
Some of these clients have entered into daily or monthly contracts with the catering facilities to supply meals and distribute them among people in need. Besides, a number of families opt to get their favourite meals ready from these kitchens to save time and effort, especially because of some of these facilities are known for their expertise in preparing local dishes and delicacies.
The operators and managers of the kitchens stressed their keenness to abide by the food health and safety regulations in place, making sure that they continue to offer customers quality meals at competitive price to keep them happy.
They are working from around 10am until 5pm daily, so that Iftar meals are ready and delivered before Iftar time.
Meanwhile, shops and eateries selling fast food and special meals are also seeing a similar surge in demand and make the necessary preparations so that they are able to cater to the expected high demand before Iftar.
Further, some restaurants and cafes have launched different offers and promotions to attract more customers and supply meals in bulk at special prices for those who donate to the needy. The offers on such meals start from QR10 and go up according to the type and quantity of food as well as the number of meals ordered by a customer. The main components of these meals include rice, meat, fish or chicken, salad, a bottle of water and some dates and desserts.
Ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, shopping malls and outlets saw a large turnout of customers looking to buy various kinds of food products in adequate quantities in order to avoid going to such places during the Ramadan rush hours.
The shoppers appreciated the various promotions available, which provide them with some good savings through deals offering up to 20% discount on different items.