Raise a glass to safety…
NOTTINGHAM’S DOG & PARROT PUB IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS AGAIN – BUT ITS CUSTOMERS WILL NOTICE A FEW CHANGES
AS the buzz returns to pubs across England, communities are coming back together to raise a glass. And the owners of one pub in Nottinghamshire have been working hard behind the scenes for more than three months to make sure it’s ready to welcome people back in a safe and friendly atmosphere. Kathryn Boam, who with husband David owns the Dog & Parrot Real Ale House in Eastwood, on the outskirts of Nottingham, was delighted to open the doors once again. “We are a community hub in the area and have quite a few older customers that use our pub to maintain their friendship group,” says Kathryn. “We are safeguarding them – making sure that social distancing guidelines are in place, and kept to.” For these older customers, their local pub is a place to meet friends and catch up on the latest news, and Kathryn and David worked hard to follow the Government directions so that they can chat over a pint. “My husband and I work full time, and we have one person who does 29 hours a week, with five others working part-time as required,” says Kathryn. “We have needed more staff on duty to make sure all the measures are correctly followed. This is a higher cost to the business and will be factored into our business model. “We carried out a full risk assessment of the business and premises, putting safe distancing measures in line with the guidance.” So when customers walked back through the doors at the Dog & Parrot, they noticed some changes that let them know social distancing and hygiene are as important to the pub as seeing friendly faces again. Now there are hand sanitiser stations at the front and back door and in all the toilets. Signs throughout the pub clearly show the instructions and anyone who doesn’t follow them or act safely, maintaining social distancing, will be asked to leave. There are markers on the floor to help direct customers with this, and they can enjoy table service so there’s no need to walk up to the bar. Hygiene is of course top priority and hand sanitiser is provided for staff as well as customers. All glasses and the jugs used for ale, cider and lager are washed after each use. One person is responsible for cleaning tables and monitoring the floor, while only one member of staff serves behind the bar. All toilets are checked regularly to make sure there’s plenty of hand soap for customers and there are electric dryers for added hygiene. The Dog & Parrot’s staff worked hard to make the pub a safe environment and they’re proud to see it filling up with locals again. “As well as the risk assessment, with the help of our staff we came up with a range of ideas and measures to ensure we could open safely and be Covid-19 secure,” says Kathryn. “We have also been talking to other local landlords, working together to exchange ideas and ensure we are all joined up in our actions.” As for the customers, all they have to do is sit at their tables, relax and enjoy pints of real ale and cider in a calm and welcoming atmosphere.
Some older customers use our pub to keep their friendship group going