Restaurant owners have warned that further job losses and closures are inevitable in the sector.
Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland Adrian Cummins said that 'restaurants are facing challenging times ahead with the cost of doing business increasing on a weekly basis'.
Mr Cummins said the association is calling on the Government 'to seriously address the issues that affect the restaurant sector'.
The measures the RAI wants introduced include reducing the minimum wage, scrapping Sunday pay premiums for staff and reducing local authority rates.
The RAI said in a survey, which it carried out, three quarters of respondents reported a drop in business as compared to last year with over a third of them reporting that business was down by more than 30%.
The association is holding its annual conference in Killiney, Co Dublin today.
In response to the claims for a reduction in the minimum wage, Minister for Labour Affairs Dara Calleary said the appropriate way to solve the issue was through the Joint Labour Committee system.
Mr Calleary said: 'It is the parties represented on a JLC that are best placed to address the impact of the economic crisis on employment levels and the viability of services in their sectors.
'They are the ones who have to discuss and reflect on the new realities in the context of the downturn in the economy.
'I will shortly be meeting with employers and workers representatives of this sector to discuss their concerns.'
