Back in business
Milestone day as pubs, bars and restaurants open their doors again:
M.E.N. reporting team: Emily Heward, Daisy Jackson, Rebecca Day, Vickie Scullard, Katie Fitzpatrick, Charlotte Dobson, Fionnula Hainey and Thomas George
PINTS flowed, beer gardens popped up on newly-pedestrianised streets, and kitchens were finally fired back up as restaurants, pubs and bars reopened across Greater Manchester yesterday.
It was a milestone day for the hospitality industry, which has been closed since late March, and for the punters who ventured out after months in lockdown.
At Hatch on Oxford Road, home to dozens of independent retailers, street food operators and bars, patrons were eager to make their return.
Within minutes of the gates opening at noon, people began to file into the colourful shipping container village.
Small groups of friends, couples with toddlers, and people with puppies quickly filled the wooden benches ready to enjoy some food and drink in the open air.
It’s a location largely unaffected by the day’s wet weather, thanks to its position beneath the Mancunian Way – but other parts of the city haven’t been so lucky.
Across the Northern Quarter, new pedestrianised zones mean bars and pubs can spill out into the streets.
It’s an important move for many of the area’s establishments, which have had to cut indoor capacities to maintain social distancing between customers.
But with the drizzle persisting well into the afternoon, many of these welcomed outdoor spaces remained largely empty.
There was a buzz in the air still, despite the rain, with women tottering around in stilettos, groups of young men striding between pints, and couples having their first dates in months. In Ancoats, the sound of people chattering could be heard through open windows from the streets outside.
Cutting Room Square also has new outdoor seating areas for the likes of the Edinburgh Castle and Seven Brothers Brewhouse, while restaurants including Rudy’s pizza restaurant welcomed diners back inside for the first time in months.
Across the city, businesses have taken very different approaches to reopening safely.
Venues including Common and Hatch have launched dedicated apps for ordering food to your table, while thermal imaging cameras check customers’ temperatures at the likes of Albert’s Schloss and The Ivy.
At The New Oxford in Salford’s Bexley Square, a one-way system has been put in place, and punters will have to get used to giving their contact details on the door to aid NHS Test and Trace efforts.
Landlord Tim Flynn admitted he was ‘a bit apprehensive,’ but added: “At least we are on the right side of the lockdown. It’s been a long time coming. It’s been difficult – but such is life I suppose.”
In the south Manchester suburbs, post-lockdown trading got off to a subdued start in the mid-afternoon drizzle. A number of bars were open in Chorlton, but not everyone was feeling the urge to grab a pint just yet.
Those who did venture out were welcomed wholeheartedly – and safely – at pubs such as The Beech Inn.
Employee Luke, who was manning the door, said: “It’s going off without too many car crashes as of yet. I have not seen anyone kick up a fuss, everyone has been nice and respectful. That’s the way it’s going to be I think – they have waited so long they don’t want to ruin their pub experience from the get go.”
Luke, who has been on furlough since lockdown, was delighted to be back at work – so much so he hugged the bar when he arrived to help set it up.
“It’s great being back at work, I have missed it,” he said.
At The Trackside, a real ale bar next to the East Lancashire Railway in Bury, dozens of people enjoyed a drink on the platform while adhering to the bar’s new social distancing measures.
Friends Nigel Blandford and Nigel Hood were on something of a mini pub crawl, having cycled between a number of pubs.
“We had to mark the day somehow,” he said. “It’s just a shame the weather has let us down.”