They are catering professionals. When they walk into a restaurant, they quickly understand whether, here, we have the black box or not, whether we have it but we don’t use it or only partially, whether we have two tills, one official, the other not. This can be seen in the handwritten VAT receipt given on request. This can be heard when the server suggests paying in cash.
Despite the obligation made since July 2016 to have a cash register system (SCE) certified by the Ministry of Finance, many still go through it.
Unfair competition
“It’s a thorny, delicate subject, says Pascal van Hamme, from the Choux de Bruxelles group (Le Chalet Robinson, le Mess, Enjoy, Wolf, etc.). This creates a feeling of injustice in the face of unfair competition. We would come to ask that the controls be more numerous and the penalties more salty”, he dares. “Or to require that, in all restaurants, consumers can only pay by card, adds his professional colleague, Thierry Goor, founder of the Wolf food market and of so many others to come. This traceability would result in fair taxation for all. We would thus all be on the same starting line (black box, controls, etc.) and on the same finishing line (impositions).” The equality that was advocated in terms of aid during the Covid, at the very least in Brussels and Wallonia, would then have all its meaning.
Perhaps the FPS Finance should simply refuse handwritten VAT tickets? “But is it up to customers to police?”asks Christian Petit, profitability and management manager at the consultancy company Eureka Food Agency.
If the SCE impacts the profitability of restaurants and the income of restaurateurs, “it further widens the gap between those who use the black box and those who don’t, he adds. To be able to integrate all the costs and charges, the former had to increase their prices. The problem is that the latter took the opportunity to follow suit. For even greater benefits…”
For Jacques (assumed name), restaurateur in Tournai, the black box dropped the “black” by 80%. But beyond the boss who sees his parallel fund dry up, ” the main victim is the customer“, he blurts out, almost flippantly.”Before, you could charge 1.70 euros per beer. From now on, it’s 2.30 euros minimum”, he says, while his establishment is one of the places considered affordable. The black box is not the only cause. Against a background of exploding energy costs, the increase in the use of bank cards is also taking place. “It is the end”he says bitterly, pointing out that electronic payments allow no flexibility and push prices up.
Multinationals and kebabs, the only survivors?
This black box did not only affect restaurants. It is the whole gourmet landscape that is modified, going from three to two speeds. “Without cash, the mid-range offer (independent breweries, etc.) has more difficulty getting by than large structures (in number of brands or stars) or small ones, family or friendlyconfirms Pascal van Hamme. With the risk of seeing them disappear.” Although he agrees that this new duality is not only related to the black box, but “is also in tune with the times”according to him. “Small breweries that welcome customers, take the time, offer personalized service will disappear. And I’m one of them, sorry Jack. On our street, there were seven establishments when I opened. Now it’s just me. Soon, there will only be the “big” well-established and multinationals who benefit from prices in central purchasing on one side and kebabs and small chip shops on the other”, he slips, discouraged.
Other consequences: SCEs have “moves the lines in terms of employment, and therefore purchases of goods, note Christian Petit. It is more difficult to keep staff, most certainly those who were used to having part of their salary in cash, which has become essential to their lifestyle. This creates unfair competition in terms of employee engagement. Wholesalers and product preparers who have cutting rooms, industrial machines and offer cut vegetables, individual portions of meat, cleaned veal kidneys… are therefore on the rise.”
What is certain is that they do not understand this relentlessness on the hospitality industry, this stigmatization. While hairdressers, mechanics, doctors are just as much plunged into darkness. Even delicatessens and caterers are less controlled than restaurants.