City restaurants are facing forced closure
RESTAURANTS in Glasgow are continuing to flout a 16- day circuit breaker ban on licensed businesses operating with days to go before the restrictions were due to be lifted, it has emerged.
The council said final warnings had been issued to a number of businesses in Glasgow which did not qualify for an exemption for cafes.
A spokeswoman said it is now at the stage where it is preparing to enforce closures.
The Glasgow Times revealed earlier that the council has been allowing un- licensed restaurants to continue to serve sit down meals, however those flouting the ban serve alcohol.
It comes as the First Minister gave an indication that the trading ban affecting the hospitality trade in the central belt could be extended as a £ 40 million package of support for businesses was announced.
The owner of one of Glasgow’s longest running restaurants has suggested the government should allow businesses to operate without serving alcohol.
Seumas MacInnes, who runs Cafe Gandolfi, also called for a re- think by both the UK and Scottish governments of city cen
tre policy, saying that while restaurants in the west and south of the city had been fairly busy post- lockdown, central businesses have not seen the same recovery and suggested a temporary lifting of parking charges could help.
He said: “Although I disagree sometimes with what is happening, you have to be compliant – just do.
“When you look at other countries
that have been successful, the people are quite compliant.
“I think they are going to have to rethink city centre policy for all Scottish cities, I know London and Edinburgh is the same as Glasgow.
“The city devastated.
“I’m hoping they start looking at stopping parking charges. Coming in for a coffee becomes expensive, it’s no wonder people centre is absolutely are going to Braehead. I live in the South Side of Glasgow and local restaurants were busy and West End they are busy. It just means we get that hit again.
“I just hope that they [ the Government] realise that restaurants are safe, if you have done all your work.”
“A cafe in general is a small place, if you come into my restaurants it’s airy.
“I do think there is a possibility that we might open and then close again.
“If it’s to do with alcohol, let us open without serving alcohol.
“In a restaurant people are not getting ‘ tanked up’ like you do in a bar – you might have the extra bottle of wine and go home merry but it’s not the same thing and you aren’t socially mixing.”
A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said: “Our Environmental Health and Trading Standards Officers have visited more than 1200 premises since additional measures were introduced on Friday, October 9.
“Overall, compliance is good but there are a number of establishments which, in our view, do not qualify for the licensed café exemption.
“Final warnings have now been issued and appropriate enforcement action will be taken if, despite these warnings, businesses continue to trade as they are at present.”