Jonathan Van-Tam says 'no time to delay' over Omicron variant
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From today, several new restrictions have been put in place across England to slow down the spread of the Omicron variant. Due to the seriousness of this particular variant, restaurants have seen an influx of customers cancel their bookings.
One chef spoke about the shared worry within the hospitality industry about the impact the Omicron variant of coronavirus is having on business.
Since July, 19, this sector has been allowed to operate free from restrictions.
But there are fears customer confidence in eating and drinking out has taken a hit ahead of restaurants and bars gearing up for their main money-making period of the year.
Mr Wawrzynia, who runs House of Eats in Peterborough spoke about the amount of cancellations his restaurant has received: “We had 20 cancellations over the weekend, mostly for Christmas parties.
“Customers were phoning to tell us they weren’t sure what was going to happen in a few weeks so they’d rather cancel now.
“Hospitality has been waiting for Christmas, and if it’s not what we were hoping for, there’s going to be some casualties across the industry, including my places.
“We won’t be able to survive without that Christmas trade.”
Sam Morgan, who owns the restaurants Craft and 8 revealed a corporate booking for a private dining experienced recently cancelled following the announcement of the new Covid variant.
He said the business in question, which had booked a table for 12 people, said it had changed its policy and would look to rebook in January.
Ahead of large bookings, restaurants purchase fresh produce.
But Mr Morgan said “that food will now end up in the bin” due to the little chance of a replacement booking.
His restaurants usually receive up to 150 enquiries a day, but in the last 48 hours, there have only been about 10.
Mr Morgan said: “People are just freezing and they are not doing anything and that’s all to do with consumer confidence.”
He discussed customer confidence suggesting many people think: “Do we really want go out? Do we really need to go? I probably should not book.”
The restauranteur is also hoping for previous restrictions like the “rule of six” not to return as he relies on larger dining groups of six to 16 people.
“It’s a challenge,” said Mr Morgan. “We are fighting a losing battle. We are ladened with debt.”
Another chef Dave Critchley, who owns Lu Ban in Liverpool said the Chinese-inspired dine-in was starting to see larger groups cancel their bookings.
Since the weekend, two outside events the restaurant was catering for have cancelled as a result of the new variant.
Mr Critchley told the BBC: “It’s a real kick in the teeth, that’s big business. It’s a double whammy at the moment.”
A Government spokesperson said it had taken “swift and decisive action” to mandate face coverings in some settings, but this did not apply to hospitality venues
They continued: “We have already provided an unprecedented support package of £352billion which hospitality businesses have had continued access to, and we have published a new Hospitality Strategy to support England’s pubs, bars, restaurants and other venues to thrive long-term.”
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