Pubs and restaurants booked up until autumn
Colin is third with Klabera
PUBS and restaurants have had a flood of bookings ahead of next month’s planned easing of Covid curbs, with some full until autumn.
From April 12 at the earliest, venues in England can start serving food and drink outdoors again.
Indoor service is banned until at least May 17 but businesses are already seeing strong demand, with lockdown fuelling demand for meals out.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade body UK Hospitality, said: “There are signs that over a third of consumers are planning a trip out to a pub or restaurant within the first few weeks after reopening.”
Stephen Harris of gastropub The Sportsman, in Seasalter, Kent, said: “We are completely full until September. If you want to come on a Saturday night, we aren’t free until the end of October.”
Some restaurants are reportedly asking for payment up front.
The move is designed to combat an issue firms faced last summer, when people booked several places on the same night then picked one to go to at the last minute.
Ms Nicholls added: “These restaurants have reduced space... they cannot afford no-shows.” The
Mirror’s Save Our Pubs campaign has been championing the nation’s locals. Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s recent Budget included £2billion worth of measures including grants and furlough support.
But the British Beer and Pub Association said pubs that focus on drink sales could not take advantage of the hospitality VAT cut, which only applies to food, soft drinks and accommodation.