Hospitality industry finds little to toast

The hospitality industry reacted with dismay to the roadmap announcement. The Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) said it was “bitterly disappointed”.

The Scottish Hospitality Group said members had “been offered the promise of better days to come without the detail or confidence to plan for them”.

Restrictions on hospitality will stay in place until the end of April at the earliest.

By then, the first minister hopes the whole country will be put into Level 3 and will be able to reopen the economy.

In Level 3 restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars can open indoors and outdoors until 6pm for the consumption of food and non-alcoholic drinks, with no alcohol being allowed to be served.

A maximum of six people from two households only can meet up.

Restrictions on click and collect will be adjusted on April 5.

Paul Waterson, SLTA media spokesman, said: “Brighter days lie ahead – there’s no doubt about that.

“However, pubs, bars and restaurants have been unable to open since before Christmas – under significant Covid constraints – and large swathes of 2020 were lost to lockdown closures or severely limited trading conditions.

“While it is encouraging that our sector can hopefully reopen from the end of April, we are concerned that a return to the previous tiered system will lead many operators to decide that such restrictive reopening conditions are simply not worth the time, effort and money involved.

“Of course, we welcome today’s news that the Scottish Government is committed to continuing financial support for those firms suffering as a result of the pandemic and we also welcome the first minister’s announcement that she is considering support for businesses facing trading restrictions after they are allowed to reopen.

“However, our response to today’s announcement is one of disappointment for the licensed hospitality industry which has been among the hardest hit by trading restrictions throughout the pandemic, an industry that invested an estimated £80 million on becoming Covid compliant.”

Scottish Hospitality Group spokesman Stephen Montgomery said: “It’s extremely frustrating for operators in Scotland to be looking at their counterparts in England who are finally able to start preparing for a return to normality with greater certainty.

“And if the government’s plan is to kick proper decisions down the road because of the election then that is unacceptable to everyone in our sector.

“We’ve endured repeated lockdowns and our worst festive trading ever.

“We pay into a furlough scheme that costs us more than it saves, we’re racking up huge amounts of debt, and we’ve already paid out a fortune to make our premises Covid-compliant only to be shut down.

“All the indicators should be giving us cause for hope and optimism, yet the Scottish Government seems hell-bent on following a precautionary approach that’s not backed up by evidence.

“The old levels system was inherently flawed and the Scottish Government must listen to industry and develop an approach that allows businesses to trade viably by permitting hospitality firms in Levels 2 and 3 to trade to at least 10pm, with all due safety measures.”

In St Andrews, Julie Dalton, who runs The Adamson in the town, closed the business temporarily in November but has since been delivering her restaurant food and cocktails through The Adamson At Home venture.

She says that if the Level 3 that Nicola Sturgeon referred to in her announcement is the same as it was before Christmas, then The Adamson will not be able to operate.

She said: “Then we tried to trade in Level 3, by opening up again for a weekend in December, thinking it was near Christmas time so we would try it but it was only 25% of our turnover because you weren’t allowed to drink inside or out and it was 6pm closing.

“So operating in Level 3 for us is very much nonviable because we did try it.

“We don’t think we are going to hear about hospitality for another few weeks, but it doesn’t look like we are going to get back to Level 2 until at least May.”

Michelin-starred Billy Boyter, who owns The Cellar in Anstruther in the East Neuk, said: “I’m pleased we now have something we can aim for.

“We couldn’t operate in the original Level 3, just with the size of the restaurant and the fact there had to be reduced numbers and no alcohol.

“It just wasn’t feasible for us to open. So, we’ve been shut since mid-november.

“I’m really hoping that as we get through this and the government can make more plans, that the levels start to look like they won’t include a curfew and hopefully the no-alcohol element is taken away.”

Market Bar in Dundee will not be able to open properly until the city is back under firm Level 1 restrictions or none at all, according to co-owner George Finlay.

“If it changes before or by April 26 then great but there’s not really any hope,” he said.

“The amount of support we’ve had between the furlough and government grants has been great and it’s the only thing keeping a lot of businesses alive, but that will be a problem if that support ends in April.

“We don’t have a beer garden, so weren’t able to stay open when those were OK to eat and drink in. So, it’s been a long time for us.”

Ruth Robinson, owner of The Dory Bistro & Gallery in Pittenweem, said: “Many businesses in Fife rely on the trade from tourism and second-home owners.

“We need some clarity on when travel bans will be relaxed and when incoming tourism can restart.”

“Restaurants operate on booking systems.

“To be able to take bookings, we need more guidance as early as possible on what rules will apply when we reopen seated dining.”