Caritas Macau opened the doors of its restaurant “Delightful Kitchen” in Rua Nova à Guia to customers earlier this month, with Caritas Secretary-General Paul Pun Chi Meng saying that the eatery aims to promote the working capabilities of senior citizens and provide an opportunity for them to work even after their retirement.
Pun made the remarks during an interview with The Macau Post Daily yesterday afternoon at the restaurant.
A restaurant run by seniors
Pun said that the restaurant was started with the Social Welfare Bureau’s (IAS) support to launch a social enterprise that hires mostly senior citizens as its staff.
The restaurant currently has 10 workers, nine of whom are senior citizens. The average age of the staff is 65 years, noting that some work full-time while others work part-time. Pun noted that the restaurant enables them to continue contributing to civil society as well as allowing them to re-apply their skills, adding that it could also allow them to enjoy life while they are working.
When asked about the feedback on the restaurant, Pun remarked that it was positive, saying that people “admire the initiative” and that customers enjoy the food.
Pun noted that the business aims to be able to be self-financing and to break even in three years “so that we can develop other new services in the future”. Moreover, Pun said, there have already been some regulars and he predicted that given time, customers will gradually increase.
Increasing job opportunities
Pun said that establishing the restaurant was just the “preliminary stage”, saying that more opportunities that are “different in nature” need to be established. “We need to develop different kinds of workplaces to allow the senior citizens to join together with other teams”, adding that “it’s important to realise [that] we need to do more”
Pun said he hoped that Macau can see more social enterprises akin to the restaurant’s aims, as well as seeing more companies that are willing to accept that “senior citizens are also a key element in the workplace”.
Moreover, Pun said he understood that most of Macau’s companies employ younger workers, adding that doing so was of “fundamental value” in the development of society. However, he emphasised that capable and experienced senior citizens who want to continue working should not be neglected, saying that everybody still has a chance to contribute to society and maximise his or her knowledge and skills in various types of work.
Remarking on the advantages of hiring senior citizens, Pun said that life experience, the ability to face challenges and the patience that can allow them to “honour their work much better in some ways” are among some of the advantages. Pun added that senior citizens are also able to “hold on to one job longer without thinking of transferring to other jobs”.
Pun acknowledged that there are challenges, but insisted that “everything we want to do with good objectives will still have some challenges”, noting that there was a need to “adapt to the difficulties” and adjust to change.
The restaurant is open Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The exterior of the Delightful Kitchen. Photos: Rui Pastorin
Caritas Macau Secretary General Paul Pun Chi Meng poses next to some of the menu items available at Delightful Kitchen in Rua Nova à Guia yesterday.
A poster with the restaurant’s logo, as well as its QR code that customers can scan.
The restaurant manager (left) poses with one of his colleagues yesterday afternoon at the eatery.
