Dying for a pint? You’ll have to book a slot when pub reopens
THE boss of pubs in Derbyshire and Burton is expecting more than 100 punters when he reopens his beer garden this month.
As things stand, people will be able to enjoy a pint in pubs’ outdoor areas on April 12, with Boris Johnson among those looking forward to holding a beer in their hands again.
Many venues are asking people to book time slots. And Peter Spittles, who runs Bodell’s Pub in Swadlincote and The Last Heretic in Burton, says he has scores of people booked in at Bodell’s already.
Mr Spittles decided to close Bodell’s on its first night of reopening last summer over social distancing concerns.
But this time around he says the booking system will help him ensure that does not happen again.
He said: “Having this system will allow us to control things more.
“We can’t be the pub police and it’s going to be a very tricky line to walk down for landlords because if we’ve got people saying they’re from the same house then we’ll have to take them at their word.
“People pay £1 per person to book and they get a one-and-ahalfor twohour slot, but we’re not ripping people off with the £1 fee – that’s just there both to cover the cost of the booking software, but also to deter people from not showing up. We’ve got more than 100 people booked in [at Bodell’s] for the first Saturday that we’ll be open. “I think overall we’re able to sit about 70 people in our outdoor area, but then we’ve got space for around 20 people in an overspill area that we’ve created, as well as an undercover area that people can request.”
James Cooper, landlord of The Coopers Arms in Weston-onTrent, however, is taking a different approach. He said: “We’re not taking bookings while we’re limited to serving outside, but once we’re able to serve inside again then people will be able to book tables. “You can ask people to pay deposits but people are not so forthcoming in wanting to pay those, and the trouble is that people just don’t let you know if their plans change and they’re not able to make it these days. We’re talking about an industry which has had so much on its shoulders recently so it’s really not good when this happens.”
“We’re able to seat about 160 people outside, but we’ve been running a drive-thru service in the lockdown which has gone extremely well and we’re going to keep that as a weather-proof option.
“There’s two points in the car park where people can collect their mix of drinks and food and some sit and eat in the car like you’d see in a McDonald’s, but some take it away with them.
“For when the weather is nice there is a new menu we’ve done for those who sit outside with all your classics like fish and chips and burgers, but it is going to be very reliant on the guy upstairs giving us some good weather.”
We can’t be the pub police and it’s going to be a very tricky line to walk down for landlords Peter Spittles