(3 Jul 2011)
1. Close-up of olive oil and herbs being poured onto Greek salad
2. Wide of cook behind counter serving food on plates
3. Mid of meat on grill
4. Shot from behind counter of waiter taking plates of food
5. Restaurant worker Giorgios Vavalis registering food as waiter holds plates
6. Close-up of cash register and receipt coming out
7. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Giorgos Vavalis, restaurant worker:
"There is no solution. The solution would have been for it (the price increase) not to go to 23 percent. Since that can't happen and they'll impose it on us, we'll see."
8. Close-up of prices in menu
9. Menu on display on pedestrian street with restaurant seen in background
10. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Giorgos Vavalis, restaurant worker:
"It is difficult for the customers and for the restaurants to once again take on such a huge increase. They took it from 9 to 11, again from 11 to 13. Now? Who will be able to tolerate taking up such a cost again? We'll see. Those (restaurants) who can, will take it on themselves. Those who can't will pass it along to their customers."
11. Close-up Greek salads on counter ready to be served
12. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Giorgos Vavalis, restaurant worker:
"A Greek salad costs between 6.50 and 7 euros around here. With an increase of 23 percent, the price increase will be big. The people see it and they understand, of course. But it will be hard for everyone."
13. Tray full of ice cream being taken away
14. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Giorgos Vavalis, restaurant worker:
"There is a drop in customers. Now if it is only because of the price increases or generally because of everything that is happening, the strikes, for example, I am not sure. I think there is a huge drop in customers. And it will continue."
15. Close-up of plates of food on tray being taken away
16. Waiter exiting restaurant with tray full of food
17. Waiter serving customers
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Warden, tourist from South Hampton, England:
"As part of the EU it's only right that we do, really, so my view should be that yes, we should help them out as much as we can if it's going to help us out in the long run."
19. Pan left from restaurant to pedestrian street
20. Mid of man looking at newspapers
21. Close-up of headline reading (Greek) "Today 'green light' for the 5th installment"
22. Close-up of headline reading (Greek) "'Good luck' until 2025" next to photo of German Chancellor Angela Merkel
23. Close-up of headline reading (Greek) "Europe looks for an emergency exit from the mid-term plan"
STORYLINE:
Restaurant prices are set to rise dramatically in Greece this year after the government agreed to pass a series of austerity measures in exchange for a vital loan instalment signed off by eurozone finance ministers in order to pull the country back from impending default.
Austerity measures include huge tax increases, including Value Added Tax (VAT) on restaurants, which will increase by 10 per cent from September this year.
Following increases last year that had taken it from 9 to 11 per cent, and subsequently from 11 to 13 per cent, the tax will hike to 23 per cent.
Restaurant industry workers are worried.
Giorgos Vavalis, a restaurant worker in Athens, said there really is no easy solution now that the measures had been passed and the European instalment had been given.
"The solution would have been for it not to go to 23 percent," he said. "Since that can't happen and they'll impose it on us, we'll see."
Vavalis is aware that the business will be getting harder.
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