Pubs fear ‘no-show’ customers will lead to closures
● New Covid rules mean bar visits must be advance booked
New regulations for bars and restaurants to turn off music and implement a full booking system to prevent the spread of coronavirus could devastate the industry, business owners have warned.
Pub owners said the requirement to book tables rather than allow walk-in customers, which is included in the Scottish Government’s statutory guidance for the sector, was leaving them with hundreds of “no-shows” every week.
Venues have been told to turn off music to ensure customers do not have to shout to be heard, which is believed to increase the risk of spreading the virus. One pub owner described it as taking his business “one step closer to the graveyard”.
Bars and restaurants must ensure there is no queuing, provide table service and ensure customers only sit in groups of up to three households.
From this weekend, the government has made it enforceable for businesses to record the name and contact number of an individual – or lead member of each household in a group – that visits
the premises. They must also record the date of the visit, the time of arrival and, where possible, the departure time. Failure to comply could result in a fine of £960.
Anna Christopherson, coowner of the Boda Bar group in Edinburgh, said colleagues had reported customers booking a table every night for the same time for a week, then only turning up to one of the bookings.
“The idea that people should always book [and not walk in] is absolutely insane, especially for bars,” said Ms Christopherson, who has three of her seven bars in the city.
“The problem is that people don’t show up. Some people are booking multiple tables and they do it because they want to have the chance to go when they want to, so they just book a table every day.
“We have had other groups who book a big table and then just stay for one drink, but we’ve blocked out the table for the whole night. We’re only operating at 25 per cent capacity at all of our venues, so it is hard enough as it is.”
She added: “It is going to destroy the industry. It is much better to allow people to come in, but then make sure you take their contact details.”
Ms Christopherson said one other restaurant and bar group in Edinburgh had 1,300 no-shows last week.
Andy Macartney, who owns seven pubs and restaurants including Glaschu in Glasgow’s Royal Exchange Square, said rules on music had changed their atmosphere.
He said: “It feels like one step into the graveyard. I have been in a few places today which are not playing music and it feels like that last half-hour at the end of the night when they turn the music off and are closing up – but all of the time. For bars and restaurants, music is a critical element of creating an atmosphere.”
Ben Prowse, who runs the Polwarth Tavern in Edinburgh, said: “It is day one without music and I am in a pub with six guys sitting in silence.
“We don’t operate a booking system. If there are no seats, I just have to tell people that they will need to come back – I don’t allow queuing.”
Colin Wilkinson, managing director of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), said “We cannot underestimate the disappointment and concern for the future of the hospitality industry over the Government’s decision that there should be no background music or noise from TVS in venues.
“The SLTA, SBPA (Scottish Beer and Pub Association) and the Music Venue Trust are working together to provide evidence that this ban is counterproductive.”
However, the industry welcomed the enforcement of collecting customer details, saying it makes it easier to refuse to serve customers who do not comply.
Restaurants and bars said the previous non-mandatory advice made it awkward to turn away customers who refused to give contact details.
Bar owners said customers were generally happy to comply with the contact tracing system. The collection of customer details became mandatory yesterday, having been only advisory since venues were allowed to reopen last month.
A failure to have the required arrangements in place will be punishable by a fixed penalty notice, while continuing failure could be enforced by repeated fines of up to £960.
James Mackenzie, general manager of Cafe St Honoré in Edinburgh, said: “If people don’t want to give their contact details we’re now going to have to tell them that we can’t serve them, so it being mandatory makes it a lot easier for us.
“We have been taking contact details from the start and the way restaurant bookings work means it is quite easy.”
The enforcement of customer detail collection was announced last week after it emerged that a cluster of cases in Aberdeen was linked to bars in the area. The city has since been put under lockdown.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “While many hospitality businesses have acted responsibly by adhering to the voluntary approach of collecting customer details, unfortunately too many others have not, and so – given the established high risk of virus transmission within hospitality settings – we have decided to make this mandatory.
“Strengthening this requirement to collect and share the data by moving it from guidance into regulations ensures that, in the event of an outbreak, through the Test and Protect process, it will be possible to get in touch with anyone identified as a close contact who was present at the same time as an individual who has tested positive for Covid-19. This will help us break chains of transmission while continuing to allow us to socialise and support our local businesses.”
She added: “Those hospitality venues which are already complying with guidance will see minimal change to their procedures and operations.”
Ms Sturgeon stressed that “nobody’s social life should feel exactly as it was before”, as she issued guidance urging people to avoid visiting numerous hospitality venues in quick succession.
She said: “The more settings you go to, the more likely you might be to get Covid-19, and the more likely you might be to spread it. Visiting lots of pubs in a single day or evening massively increases the workload of test and protect, so please think about that – it makes a really big difference if you stay in one pub.”