[05/04/2019 - Please read the latest update. UCT continue to push closure.]

Rainbow Chinese Takeaway is a small, family run food stall operating on Upper Campus, UCT. UCT has planned the closure of Rainbow Chinese Takeaway, one of the food stalls located next to the Molecular Biology Building, instructing the owners of the stall to vacate by mid-May. It has been suggested that this is to make way for another 'Food and Connect' in the same place. 

Rainbow Chinese Takeaway is an important food vendor on campus, with many frequent and loyal customers. It is a small business, and is the primary source of income for it's owners. UCT has made impracticable suggestions about paths forward for the continued operation of the stall. 

It is especially worrying that UCT is thinking of closing another food vendor on campus when they are monopolising food vending on campus with Food and Connect. It is important that there remain alternatives to UCT's food vendors. 

The owners of Rainbow Chinese Takeaway, Bill and Angel Chan, have placed a petition for customers to sign around their stall, which has already received many signatures. The text of their petition is as follows: 

"Dear valued customers
Appeal: Lease expiry and relocation
Our takeaway shop would be out of service at the end of May 2018, due to our contract expiry without renewal.
We have been ordered to disassemble out store and vacate our spot next to the Molecular Biology Building around mid-May. We value UCT’s continuous support for us and enjoy servicing our customers on Upper Campus.
There is no viable relocation plan, nor any further arrangement for our current stall. UCT Governance proposed to us to relocate into a food truck as an alternative. However, no specific trade location and operating hours were given to us. Furthermore, the proposal is to acquire the truck from our own funds. However, the non-renewable trade agreement permit which will be granted to us will only be valid for a mere 5 years.
The food truck proposal means for us a high financial risk and in fact, we will most likely not be able to recover the initial purchasing costs within the 5-year validity period of the trade agreement permit. Furthermore, due to the limited space within the truck, we will be required to make us of an off-site kitchen, delivery cargo-van, storage, additional staffing and thus, incur additional costs.
Further to this, we have not received any feedback during the past weeks which creates substantial planning insecurity with regards to our future business operations at UCT.
We also would like to emphasize that we have been serving out customer on Upper Campus, UCT, for the past 15 years. We feel very much connected and grateful to be part of the UCT family for such a long time. With the current proposal communicated to us by UCT governance, we will be effectively forced to close our business, leave UCT and loose our livelihood, Therefore, we would like to appeal against the UCT’s relocation plans for us and request to discuss with us a more viable solution which allows us to stay in business.
Please sign underneath if you support our petition.

Bill & Angel Chan" 

Please sign this petition to indicate to UCT that you do not want to see the forced closure of Rainbow Chinese Takeaway.