‘WE’RE ON OUR KNEES’
RESTAURANT CHAIN’S BOSSES SAY DRAKEFORD MUST SHOW A WAY OUT FOR DESPERATE INDUSTRY
THE bosses of successful restaurant chain Dylan’s have written an open letter to First Minister Mark Drakeford – warning “we are on our knees”.
David Evans and Robin Hodgson have built up the brand after launching in 2012 and employ more than 150 staff at restaurants in Llandudno, Menai Bridge and Criccieth and a production hub in Llangefni.
Like the rest of the sector they have been impacted by lockdowns, and restrictions on the sale of alcohol, opening times and guest numbers over the past 12 months.
They are now desperate to get open again but Welsh Government currently doesn’t have a reopening date for indoor hospitality while with outdoor hospitality a final decision will be taken on April 22.
In England outdoor hospitality is expected to open on April 12 and indoors on May 17 while Scotland also has a reopening roadmap.
It comes as the seven day rolling infection rate in Wales drops to below 40 per 100,000 people – although on Anglesey where Dylan’s is based it was over 100, with a spike in Holyhead the main driver of that high figure.
The joint owners of Dylan’s wrote: “How do you expect us to compete with other nations when we are not given the same opportunities?
“Mr Drakeford, we are on our knees. We have exhausted our reserves.
“Our staff need to work, and our customers need to see our doors open once again.
“Our communities need hospitality venues as safe places to socialise and combat feelings of isolation, detachment and loneliness.
“Small producers and supply chain businesses need restaurants, cafes and pubs to start moving again.
“Every day that the Welsh hospitality industry remains closed – whilst other nations re-open – weakens us all further.
“Please share with us a route out of this, and we will accept the caveats and conditions that come with it.
“The R rate must stay below a certain figure, hospitalisations and deaths must remain at a low level. This goes without saying.
“But we need some answers.”
The updated Welsh Government Coronavirus Control Plan said: “The much higher transmissibility of the Kent variant makes mixing indoors even more risky.
“Allowing for indoor mixing will therefore need to wait until rates are very low and vaccines are rolled out to more of the population.”
Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price said that Welsh business had been “left in the dark” when it came to re-opening with no targets or dates on when they can expect to re-open safely for trading and called for a clearer roadmap to provide businesses with greater clarity.
Mr Price also called for more financial support for Welsh hospitality and leisure businesses in the form of one-off restart grants to help with the costs of re-opening.
The financial support measures for restaurants, cafes and pubs across Wales will expire on March 31, and with no word yet from Welsh Government on further support after that date.
“Thousands of small independent hospitality businesses are staring into the void with no answer as to when they can begin trading and no indication if and when they might receive financial support to plug the gap,” said Simon Wright, a co-founder of the Welsh Independent Restaurant Collective.
Welsh Government has previously said it would announce new funding for after April 1.