Food venue battles back from Covid
BOSSES at the Picturedrome have spoken about the difficulties Covid brought when it struck just months after the Macclesfield food and drink venue opened.
The former cinema, on Chestergate, opened as a food hall in October 2019 and has nine independent kitchens and bars from local producers.
It immediately proved popular but less than six months later the pandemic hit forcing a lockdown that left the hospitality industry on its knees.
Although Covid rules and regulations have since relaxed it left businesses in the industry with a long climb back.
Jake Hall, general manager, said: “For us, we opened up and we were so busy throughout Christmas and it was amazing in the new venue.
“We had people queuing out the door and even January and February were promising even though them months can be quiet in hospitality.
“But then Covid hit and the day we found out we would have to close, we were all sat round the tables and watching the news. We only had two customers in that day.
“Before that, we were on such a high and we thought we’d be back in no time.
“But obviously that wasn’t the case and we were a bit unsettled as we had just started out.
“When we reopened, we struggled to gain people’s confidence and it didn’t really pick up again until after the last lockdown.”
The venue is dog friendly and has a children’s play area, which Jake Atkinson, from Market Operations who run the Picturedrome, says is key to becoming a community hub.
He said: “We have a lot of families come in after school, we have a mix of people depending on the time and day.
“The main thing we are trying to do is remind people it’s a family hub.
“People can have their kids here and relax.”