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'This waiting game is soul-destroying' – pub and bar owners at breaking point over lockdown uncertainty

A closed sign at a UK bar - Getty
A closed sign at a UK bar - Getty

Members of the pub and bar industry have weighed in on the latest news that any return to normality may be delayed by at least a further three months for the hospitality industry.

According to a source familiar with the discussions, a 12 to 14 week ‘halfway house’ lockdown is potentially in the works for after Easter, delaying a full reopening of hospitality venues until all over-50s have had their second dose of the vaccine.

Proposals currently being considered by government ministers would see pubs and bars allowed to open in April under similar restrictions to those in place last summer – including a return of the ‘rule of six’ and social distancing measures.

Responses from those in the industry have been mixed, ranging from rampant upset to enthusiasm for anything that provides some kind of plan for reopening. A uniting thread, however, has been a call for more clarity.

“It's all just very confusing, isn’t it?” said Simon Thompson, the owner of Present Company in Liverpool. “I feel the same way most hospitality venue owners feel now – we just want some clarity as to when we’ll be able to trade again. At least then there’s a way to plan for the future rather than this open-ended purgatory.”

A clear strategy

“What do ‘halfway house’ measures mean? How do they change the rules?” asked Mario Sandgren, who works for drinks company, Indie Brands and Camden Cocktail Academy. “We need clarity.” The news has also prompted further demands for the creation of a Minister for Hospitality, as many were dismayed to once again see the government making potential decisions about the industry without any feedback from its members.

“First and foremost we want to be able to open and operate safely for our teams and for our guests,” said Anna Sebastian, the Artesian’s head bartender, “so we are happy to do whatever it takes to make sure the virus is under control and we can resume some sort of normality for everyone.”

She adds: “saying that, we need a clear strategy, advance warning, all types of support from the government so we can prepare and align our businesses instead of facing more closures and redundancies as an industry.” So far, the UK government has been lacking in this regard.

“We need notice,” agreed Sandgren. “This Christmas we got a couple of days. That's not good enough. The government needs to more clearly work in tandem with leaders in the sector to guide a safe transition out of lockdown and also to provide clear instructions on the implementation of rules. It seems like a lot of rules are being made for us rather than with us, and that's a problem. Hospitality is such a large part of our social interaction and we are losing it, seemingly largely over a lack of communication.”

Either way, there is clamour for some kind of answer. “If it is going to last until June, so be it, but tell us now so we can plan for that,” said Thompson. “Every business owner I know feels the same to be honest. I really do not mind restrictions lasting five months, as long as we get it right and as long as we know that's how long it is going to last.”

Crying Wolf, Bristol
Crying Wolf, Bristol

Most agree the possibility of restrictions lasting into summer is a worrying prospect, but optimism comes in varying degrees. “This potential reopening date will hopefully allow us to limp along until summer and pay our staff and suppliers,” said Louis Lewis-Smith, director of the Crying Wolf bar in Bristol and the Dark Horse bar in Bath. “But with restrictions in place, what it will not do is put big bucks in the bank to pay mounting rent and VAT bills.”

“When the rent moratorium ends, there are a lot of landlords out there that will be demanding huge sums for a year when we’ve had throttled income or been closed completely,” Lewis-Smith warned. “I cannot wait to get my bars open again, but this is not the golden ticket that’s going to save the sector.”

References to the walking wounded come up more than once, with many bar owners emphasising that current support from the government is just not enough. “The key to ensuring our businesses’ survival is a mandated rent cut or similar, and obviously ensuring that the furlough scheme continues until we are able to reopen fully without restrictions,” said Tom Lord, owner and founder of Hospitality Gin. “Anything else would be a death sentence for businesses that have limped their way through so far.

“As a reminder, many businesses have not had a rent break through the entire pandemic. If July is correct then that's 16 months of rent due, expected to be paid out of a few months of trading at significantly reduced capacity levels.”

Lord is “not surprised” by the possibility of continued restrictions, however. “The idea that this would be a short break was always laughable, it was never an achievable target to have venues reopening without severe restrictions before April.” If this timeline were to be officially confirmed, it would be “refreshing to see the Government finally being open and honest about how long these measures are likely to last,” he added.

“It’s fine by me,” added Alexander Taylor, the owner-operator at Pennyroyal in Cardiff. “The 10pm curfew and two metre distancing both weren't great, and they still cannot really rationalise the former, but at this point I'll just be happy selling drinks again – and April is better than I'd previously thought.”

'Stuck in a state of anxiety and depression'

For others, it is hard to get past the impact of a possible five months of continued restrictions. “The hospitality sector is in the process of being decimated,” said Baz Butcher, the owner of the White Hart of Wytham, a beloved local pub. For Butcher, fiscal concerns are not the only issue – mental health is too.

“Any further delay to our opening up will have concerning mental health implications. It is widely known that people in this industry, mostly by choice, work exceptionally long hours and seldom have a weekend or Bank Holiday off. Most of us do so because it is our passion and profession. When this gets turned off, we lose our sense of purpose. Our lives feel without reason and depression can quickly take hold.”

“I do not know how we’re supposed to survive this, as each month goes by we lose more money and resources to get money to keep us in the game,” added Peter Lloyd, the owner of London restaurant, Sticky Mango. “The waiting game of when we can reopen is soul-destroying. The Government drip-feeds us information on how long we will be in lockdown – it is like queuing for a fairground ride where you think you are close to the front and then there’s another bend. What looked like a few weeks of lockdown is slowly turning into a few months, leaving us stuck in a state of anxiety and depression over what the future holds.”

“As much as I want to remain positive I honestly think the worst is yet to come in terms of the true effects of Covid in hospitality,” said Sebastian. “Naturally as an industry we are very good at adapting and overcoming but it has been a year of uncertainty, pivoting and treading water to survive. I just hope this will mean we are on track to a brighter tomorrow.”

The wrong target

Another concern is food and drink venues once again being “wrongly targeted” as a major catalyst of Covid infection. “Obviously we want those who are most at risk to be as safe as possible during this time,” emphasised Thomas Hay-Owens, who works for True North Brew Co, “but this is what has frustrated the community at large.

“We were asked to improve safety measures within our sites and to heighten our already vigorous cleaning practices. We obliged. We were asked to restrict our capacities. We obliged. We were then told to either reduce our hours or create a mandatory food offering, despite knowing this could lead to further job losses. Again, we obliged. How do we know that the staggered approach that we had last time won't again be used as a crutch to beat us with?”

“Some of the restrictions and guidelines obviously do make sense,” agreed Dan Priseman, another hospitality industry expert, “but the fact that hospitality venues are the only ones that have to follow these steps is what makes them unpalatable to many industry professionals. If the rules and restrictions were the same across all retail and public spaces then at least it would not feel like hospitality is being singled out.”

“The madness of this whole situation is that the restrictions placed on the hospitality sector have not slowed the transmission of this virus in any way either. This is not because the restrictions do not work: it is because these venues are not where the virus is being spread.”

Many were vocal about their scepticism of the restrictions imposed on restaurants and bars last summer, and this year is little different. “We need a measured reassessment of the restrictions,” said Lewis-Smith. “The 10pm curfew floods public transport and undoes all the measures we’ve put in place regarding distancing within our venues. The enforced substantial meal simply does not do what it was intended to do – those that want to have an excessive night of partying are still doing so, and the remaining 99 per cent are just annoyed and being made to buy food that often goes to waste.”

A different tack was also proposed, in lieu of continued restrictions. “If they’re going to do something like this, why not just ban over-50s from pubs and bars until then?” asked Daniel Kaizen, who works for drinks consultancy, Wet and Dry, tongue-in-cheek. “I don’t like it but objectively speaking, vaccinating the ‘vulnerable’ before reopening makes sense,” he added on a more serious note, “but waiting until the second dose is done could mean the death of hospitality.”

“All I want to know is when there’s going to be an appointed Minister of Hospitality to speak on behalf of an industry that provides so much but is doomed to fail following ‘Government’ guidelines,” he concluded.