Western Morning News (Saturday)
‘Curfew has forced us to close’
ACORNWALL restaurateur has reluctantly closed her business due to the impact she believes the Government’s new 10pm curfew will have on the hospitality trade.
Louise Chapman, who runs the Cellar Bistro in the centre of St Ives, announced she was closing the popular restaurant until possibly spring 2021 due to the effect the new Covid measures would have on business.
The restaurant, on Fore Street, closed with immediate effect on Wednesday, September 23, with staff having to contact diners who had booked until the end of the year.
A sign outside the restaurant reads: “Due to the 10pm curfew we are now closed for the rest of the year. Thanks Boris!!!”
It was a difficult decision for Louise and husband Tony, who is coowner and head chef, as next month was due to be the busiest October in five years of trading.
She said: “We are absolutely devastated to announce that following the announcement imposing further draconian restrictions on the hospitality sector we will be closing our doors for the rest of the year.
“Even though only 5% of positive cases are being linked to hospitality this government continues to persecute us. We have followed every guideline from reopening but it will never be enough.
“A 10pm curfew results in us having to cancel almost 50% of our bookings making it unviable to continue for now. Many tears have been shed down at Cellar this morning whilst cancelling our bookings. The messages of support have been overwhelming.”
Louise and her staff have now contacted all diners who had booked until the end of the year to tell them they are closing, with people being disappointed but understanding.
Warning the country had reached a “perilous turning point” in its battle with coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson brought new nationwide restrictions before the Commons on Tuesday.
Among them was the enforceable order for all pubs and restaurants to shut at 10pm, in order to stop late night drunkenness leading to social distancing rules being broken.
However, it has been argued by some – including leading scientists such as Ian Hamilton, associate professor of addiction at the University of York – that some people will circumnavigate the curfew by drinking earlier or continuing to drink at people’s houses.
The hospitality trade has also been critical of the move.
Leading trade association UKHospitality claimed the curfew was “another crushing blow” for a sector that’s “already on its knees”.
Louise and Tony certainly agree. “We’re an evening-only restaurant,” Louise said. “Around 50% of our bookings are a late sitting because that’s the kind of relaxed, candlelit atmosphere we’ve got.
“We went through our diary and realised it would be around half of our bookings that would have to be cancelled. It just isn’t financially viable to continue.”
Louise, who admitted that she and other staff were crying when they had to cancel bookings, added: “It’s heartbreaking – this is our life.
“Hopefully, things will be a lot better by next spring, but who knows?”
Louise said if Boris walked down the stairs to the basement restaurant, she would tell him that the statistics show that only 5% of positive cases of coronavirus have been linked to hospitality and maybe the Government is persecuting restaurateurs.
She would ask him to be more specific when imposing new measures rather than announcing a blanket rule.
“The curfew is draconian – along with a lot of the other measures,” she said. “They need to put more trust in the public.”