Boom time for pubs and restaurants
BUSINESSES TELL OF DELIGHT AS PUBLIC FLOCK BACK FOR FOOD AND DRINK
SENIOR staff at pubs and restaurants have spoken of their delight following an “unbelievable” weekend.
Many businesses across the borough enjoyed a full weekend of trade for the first time in three months following the easing of coronavirus restrictions last Monday.
And as Huddersfield basked in glorious sunshine, hundreds of customers flocked to their local pubs and eateries to mark the occasion with a drink, or a meal, outdoors.
Jordan Lee, events director at The Woodman Inn near Shepley, described the weekend as “incredible”, adding it exceeded all expectations.
He said: “We were a lot busier than expected. Everything about it was unbelievable – the weather, the atmosphere, the customers.
“We spent a lot of time and money on getting the pub to where it needed to be and it has paid off.
“We had queues of people waiting to get in all day on Friday and Saturday. We managed to get everyone a table and everyone just seemed so happy to be out.
“We as a team have been wanting to open for so long. It is what we all love to do and we are all buzzing.”
Jordan added the pub is already fully booked from tomorrow to Sunday, with only limited availability remaining for Thursday lunchtime.
A spokesman for Hinchcliffe’s Farm Shop in Netherton, which runs The Rusty Bull restaurant, said demand for tables over the past week has been “absolutely bonkers”.
“We had 170 reservation emails on Saturday alone – it is so busy,” he said. “But we knew we were going to be busy (over the weekend) so we prepared for it. It went really well, we are very happy.”
He added turnover is currently higher than ‘normal trade,’ despite the restaurant only being permitted to seat customers on its outdoor terrace.
“We currently only have 12 tables in operation where we would normally have 35 to 36,” he said.
“We are using every table four times in one day. The numbers are phenomenal and it has been a very positive start.”
And The Foresters Arms at Honley enjoyed a “perfect weekend”, according to a spokesman.
He said: “It was just fantastic - we could not have asked for anymore.
“Everyone was in good spirits and customers were well behaved. It all ran smoothly.
“It was great to be back and to see everybody.”