With the news that Lancashire will follow Liverpool into Tier 3 restrictions from midnight and London facing a ban on households mixing in any indoor space under Tier 2, the hospitality industry is pulling its hair out.
With warning of 200,000 hospitality job losses in London this weekend the sector is once again being squeezed and feels there is a lack of support.
“The only thing which will make us close is no guests,” said Mark Birchall, chef owner of two Michelin-starred Restaurant Moor Hall. Based in Lancashire he said he had ‘a few choice words’ when asked for a quote on the new restrictions.
“Since we opened in July, we’ve had an amazing time, we’ve been so busy and so successful – even the curfew didn’t affect us.”
Tom Kerridge is juggling establishments in covid hotspots in Manchester and London, he said: “It’s absolutely devastating and there’s nothing you can do about it. We feel so helpless. We feel like an industry which is being shut down and neglected and the last thing you want to do is upset a load of chefs!”
Mark recognises that the covid cases across Lancashire ‘are quite high’ but feels let down by the fact not enough has been done to police the ‘non secure covid places’.
“If people aren’t playing by the rules they should be punished on a local level with licensing, places like here [Moor Hall] have done a great job of making people feel comfortable and safe and we’re being punished.”
He says this week there have been 30 cancellations, but they have picked them back up, ‘at the minute it hasn’t affected us, but I know it will’.
People are advised not to travel in out of Lancashire under tier 3 restrictions so Mark says, ‘we’ll have to see’. He intends to keep going, adding incentives and offers to keep guests coming back.
“Once you walk through those gates, you’re in a bubble. We’ve seen circa 11,000 guests come through those gates and we’ve not had one covid related case here."
He added: “It does feel unfair.”
Tom feels like ‘the hospitality industry
