Indignant citizens give boost to down town kiosks and coffee shops

Crisis-affected kiosk and coffee shop owners in the city centre of Athens are flirting with profits yet again, as the main square of the capital is swamped with the Indignant citizens.

The end of May and the mass demonstrations came to change the declining financial scene and give it a practical edge.
As the main Syntagma Square was filling up with demonstrators, the waiters at the local cafes were running up and down to keep everyone happy and receive the long-awaited tip. As for the owners, well, they definitely give the thumbs up to anyone helping their business stay afloat.

According to one of the waiters from a close-to-the-square coffee place, “during demo time, capacity goes up to 60%”.

One kiosk owner says, “we had to hire new people just for these days, in order to serve customers as best possible”.

Now, most places in the area, and especially ones such as fast foods, cafes and street bars, won’t need to wait for tourists and the year’s the tourist season start. Their wishes have alrady been met.

What most people consume is water, beer and non-alcoholic beverages, along with tons of cigarettes and sandwiches.

Above all, though, what is striking for owners and people working downtown is the excellent and peaceful atmosphere during the rallies.

On the part of the indignant, the problem of the vendors of Greek-type fast food, such as souvlaki, remains.  Demonstrators speak of an unbearable, constant smell and high-priced, bad-quality meat.