‘Dire’: Tayside venues reveal challenges of New Year Covid restrictions

doing food, they got all the cancellations.”

Also suffering from a lack of customers was The Stables Lounge in Brechin.

Owner Alan Renilson said the venue had about 70 cancelled bookings during the festive season.

But he added: “It’s the footfall where we’ve seen a difference.

“A Thursday night before Hogmanay, everyone is off, Man United are playing and there’s six people in the pub.

“It was just dire.

“If that was four years ago you would have had 25 guys squashed in that bar.

“I see a very tough future. We have a generally older clientele, and they’re reluctant to come out to the pub the way they would before.

“For December and January, I’d hazard a guess that we’ll lose anything between £6,000 and £8,000, maybe £10,000, in takings and £3,000 in profit.”

Nikki Ferguson, who runs Coast in Arbroath with partner Nevada Mitchell, said her business did not have a December “like we’re used to”.

She said: “We were open on Hogmanay but had to close the kitchen, we could only keep the bar open.

“We’re essentially a restaurant so keeping the bar open, we ended up closing early.

“Four years ago we would have been full. The bar this year was pretty much non-existent.”

Perth bars also reported having fewer customers at New Year as customers took heed of the “stay at home” advice.

Sandy Stirton, co-owner of The Twa Tams on Scott Street, said New Year was “a lot quieter” than previous years – when it has hosted a ticketed event.

He said: “We only had 60 people in the pub, which is far less than other years, so it was very different.

“Nonetheless, we still had a great evening and had music playing. It was really good.

“We are looking forward to there being fewer restrictions and when everyone can go out properly.”

Ashley Watson, general manager of Brewdog in Perth, said: “We only had small tables in, it was more families and regulars.

“People weren’t out for ‘a mad one’ like it usually is, it was totally different. It was really quiet.”