When it opened a year ago, she was welcoming 50 people a day in Nigeria's mega city Lagos.

Fear of coronavirus has driven most diners away, but it be believes inflation rather than the pandemic, may kill her business.

This has really, really quick with us in the last 20 and then the prices off food have just skyrocketed the quality off food that would would normally play for customers.

We've had thio reduce this.

The price of basic ingredients has risen sharply since Cafe Delon opened in January 2020 just weeks before Nigeria's first known coronavirus case was diagnosed in Lagos, food inflation stood at 19.56% last month after rising for 16 months straight.

She says she resisted increasing the price of dishes to retain customers who now mainly use the restaurants take away service.

Nigeria is in its second recession in four years, triggered by an oil price crash that hammered state revenues and weakened the local currency.

That has made imports more expensive, spurring on inflation.

Restaurants and wholesale vendors are feeling the impact.

Tina share head chef That's Giulini Restaurant in Lagos, blames Nigeria's border closures for cutting off access to cheap imports.

What about producer and already made locally on, then the ones that are made locally, which is that the middle belt?

There are lots off killings and fighting there, so prize really spiked, so we're talking like a more than 100% differential.

The closures began in August 2019 to combat smuggling on continued until December 2020 to prevent the novel coronavirus spreading.

The borders reopened last month, but prices remain high hitting business owners like Melanie, who were struggling to stay open.