Cheer for some businesses – but anxiety lingers

With hospitality firms now allowed to serve customers outdoors, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) says uncertainty is still hampering efforts to get businesses back on track.

For those who have longed to sip a chilled pint somewhere other than their own living room, today is a day to be celebrated.

And for the pub and restaurant owners who have a bit of outdoor space to work with, today marks a starting point on what they hope will be the road to recovery.

For others whose premises are confined to indoors, they will watch on with interest, and perhaps a little envy, to see what level of demand there is for socialising beyond gardens and parks.

With rain never too far away in Scotland, hopes are pinned on the brighter spell forecast.

Clouds gathered around the hospitality industry when pubs and restaurants were forced to shut their doors on March 20, ahead of the nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on March 23.

Now a mist of uncertainty lingers, with the future dependent on the continued suppression of the Covid19 outbreak in Scotland, the extent of social distancing required and, crucially, public confidence.

When, on June 18, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon revealed in the Scottish Parliament phase two of the Scottish Government’s route map out of lockdown, hopes were dashed of an immediate reopening of outdoor spaces at pubs, bars and restaurants.

Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government was seeking further scientific guidance amid fears beer gardens “can be hotspots for transmission” of Covid-19.

Monday July 6 was then announced as the day hospitality businesses could serve customers outdoors, with July 15 earmarked for indoor reopening.

But while having certainty around

“The next thing to think about is, ‘if I do open, am I going to have any customers?’ PAUL WATERSON OF THE SCOTTISH LICENSED TRADE ASSOCIATION

the dates has been a step forward, Paul Waterson of the SLTA, says many businesses in Scotland face a steep climb in the weeks and months ahead.

Reflecting on the start of the crisis, he said: “To put a bit of context around it, if you go back to when this started, people were concerned and just wanted to get through it.

“Then we got furlough and the government help (through grants and loans) for some and that helped a bit, and then we started to think, ‘when are we going to reopen and how?’ We need guidance.

“Now we have the dates and we seem to have the infection under a bit of control.

“So we can open but with two metre-distancing; that’s not going to work for a lot of businesses, so we need a decision on that.

“There is a bit of guidance coming through now around things like customers using the toilets, so we can get opened.

“The next thing to think about is, ‘if I do open, am customers?’

“As for when everyone can open, there are a significant number now, especially in the hotel and restaurant business, starting to ask if it will be worth it.”

So what does the future bring Scotland’s pubs and restaurants?

Mr Waterson said: “From recent polls, around about 62 to 65% (of the public) are saying they’re not going to rush back in.

“There will be an element who want to, but is it going to be sustainable when we take staff off furlough?

“For the hotel side of things, I have a hotel and we’re not looking to get back to full capacity until later next year or possibly 2022.

“For a lot of businesses, the social distancing coming down from two to one metre makes a serious difference.

“We reckon with two metres you’re losing up to 80% capacity and at one it’s around 40%, so it’s still difficult but just about workable.”

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