Restaurant owners across Bangladesh have threatened to launch a nationwide protest involving restaurant workers and owners if the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) does not withdraw its recent notice and engage in constructive dialogue.

Bangladesh Restaurant Owners Association (BROA) warned that their protest could include legal action, road blockades, and the closure of restaurants nationwide.

On April 28, the DSCC issued a public notice saying that it would cancel the trade licences of all restaurants operating in certain residential and commercial buildings without approval from the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK).

BROA president Imran Hassan said they ‘strongly condemn and protest this unilateral decision.’

He said that the association had already sent a letter to the DSCC demanding the immediate withdrawal of the decision.

‘We demand a prompt, policy-driven solution through mutual understanding,’ he said, warning that otherwise ‘unrest may happen in this sector.’

According to BROA, a restaurant entrepreneur must currently secure approvals from at least 14 governmental authorities, facing bureaucratic challenges and harassment.

Despite these hurdles, the restaurant sector is growing rapidly at an estimated rate of 17 per cent annually, driven largely by young entrepreneurs.

Data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics shows that over 481,000 restaurants operate nationwide, directly employing more than 3 million people and generating about $4 billion in revenue.

In its public notice, the DSCC stated that rooftop restaurants have been set up illegally, posing significant safety hazards.

It cited incidents where unauthorised restaurants were involved in accidents causing casualties and property damage.

The DSCC also claimed that many of these establishments had obtained their trade licences through unethical means.

As a result, the corporation announced the cancellation of all trade licences for unauthorised restaurants and rooftop establishments, warning that legal action would follow if any business continued operations using a cancelled licence.

While there is no official data on rooftop restaurants in the capital, BROA estimates there are around 200 privately owned rooftop restaurants in Dhaka.