Madrid's restaurants struggle with wave of Omicron cancellations

A waiter cleans a glass at La Querida restaurant in Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid, Spain December 28, 2021. Picture taken December 28, 2021. REUTERS/Javier Barbancho

MADRID (Reuters) - After nearly two years of COVID-19-induced uncertainty, Madrid's bars and restaurants had been counting on solid bookings over the festive season to bolster their finances, but soaring contagion has triggered a wave of last-minute cancellations.

"We all thought... we'd be able to make some money and pay off many things that are overdue," said Juan Lozano, head waiter at the La Querida restaurant in Madrid's Pozuelo neighbourhood, which was almost fully booked in early December.