In Stockholm, the founder of the restaurant Celeste, renowned chef Jonas Lagerström, articulates his frustrations regarding the exclusion of restaurateurs from a recent VAT reduction. Reflecting on the past few years, he notes the significant challenges that restaurant businesses have faced, including soaring food prices, electricity costs, and rent increases. Despite a remarkable year for his businesses in 2018, Lagerström explains that conditions have only worsened since then, making survival more difficult for many in the industry.

Joining Lagerström is his colleague Beatrice Becher, who owns the neighborhood restaurant Voisine and the wine bar Folii. Together, they shed light on how the pandemic fundamentally altered the landscape of the restaurant business, leaving those who survived grappling with the consequences of rising operational costs, while watching competitors in other sectors benefit from tax relief measures. For them, the current economic climate creates an "unfair playing field," when compared to other areas of hospitality and retail that receive such support.

The discussion highlights a broader issue in the restaurant industry, where many establishments are struggling to maintain profitability in the wake of external economic pressures. The exclusion from the VAT reduction not only underscores the challenges faced by restaurateurs but also raises questions about the policies that govern support for different sectors within the economy, potentially prompting calls for greater advocacy and reform to ensure fairness in fiscal measures.