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Pub curfew will ‘finish’ family businesses and lose staff hundreds in wages

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How the 10pm curfew will affect hospitality businesses.
Hospitality industry professionals said the latest restrictions have already affected business due to the ‘uncertainty’ they have created (Picture: Take A Photo Natt/Samira Heydari/Simon Reeve Photography)

Hospitality business owners have hit back at the Government over the new 10pm curfew saying it will cause ‘chaos’ for the already ‘battered’ industry.

Pub, restaurant and bar owners and industry professionals from across England told Metro.co.uk they have already lost customer bookings, while some have made redundancies amid the ‘uncertainty’ of the new measures. One said closing during their busiest trading hours will be the ‘nail in the coffin’ for their already struggling restaurant.

Many said they feel they are being ‘blamed’ and ‘punished’ for the surge in coronavirus cases, just weeks after the Government encouraged the public to Eat Out to Help Out. Meanwhile, staff who are paid by the hour are facing losing hundreds of pounds in wages, with one London-based chef calculating his losses to be at least £450 per month.

Greg John, founder of not-for-profit Manchester Hospitality Network, does not believe the curfew will curb the spread of the virus but will ’cause chaos’ if the Government does not provide support.

He told Metro.co.uk: ‘Implementing a time of 10pm means it’s going to be like emptying a football pitch at the same time. There’s going to be overcrowding on public transport – this is actually going to increase the infection rate.’ 

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Greg, who has supported hundreds of businesses during lockdown, has had a ‘surge’ of calls today from concerned owners and is ‘really scared’ for the future of the industry and the mental health of those working in it.

People sit at tables outside restaurants in Soho, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-20) outbreak, in London, Britain, September 20, 2020.
Boris Johnson announced all hospitality venues will have to close by 10pm from Thursday (Picture: Reuters)

‘A lot of people in Manchester are not only head-screwed but they are morally defeated and mentally strained,’ he said. ‘It is absolutely tough at the minute, we’re going to see a lot of people losing jobs.

‘In hospitality, the Government has clearly failed.’

Samira Heydari, whose father has owned Persian restaurant Safa in London, for more than 40 years, said the latest restriction will ‘finish’ the business.

Over the last six months the business has fallen into £60,000 of rent arrears after losing about £20,000 of takings a week, said Samira.

She said dad, Ali Heydari, 74, has spent decades ‘slaving away and paying taxes’, adding: ‘It took them only six months to destroy it, and his livelihood. This I will never forgive.’

Ali Heydari, owner of Safa Restaurant, in Edgware Road, London.
Ali Heydari, owner of Safa Persian restaurant in London, is giving his business of 40 years just two more weeks (Picture: Samira Heydari)

Samira said the family business is ‘literally holding on’ but is worried it will not be able to recover this time, as their main trading hours are between 9pm and 12am.

‘That’s it now, I know. He’s going to give it two more weeks,’ Samira added. ‘It’s the final nail in the coffin – not because he has to close at 10pm but it’s the fact that he hasn’t had normal takings since March. So it’s a knock-on effect.’

She said the Government should have implemented the ‘rule of six’ ahead of Eat Out to Help Out, and that businesses should instead be allowed to extend hours but space out tables further.

Michael Huckerby, owner of The Lawrence boutique hotel and restaurant in Padiham, Lancashire, said he has already lost 80% of bookings, along with a small wedding.

He said the curfew feels like a ‘half measure’ that has caused ‘fear and uncertainty’ for customers and business owners. He said he had only just managed to ‘crawl back’ trading to 60% of what it was pre-lockdown.

Michael Huckerby, owner of The Lawrence hotel, in Padiham, Lancashire.
Michael Huckerby, owner of The Lawrence hotel and restaurant, said he has already lost 80% of bookings over the new curfew (Picture: Stuart Reeve Photography)

‘The 10pm curfew isn’t too bad for restaurant sales if it was just that but it’s the fear and uncertainty it’s created. I would be happier to have a complete lockdown and get it over with,’ said the entrepreneur.

‘A complete shut means no staff, no orders, so we know we will have to cover wages. This half measure means being open but losing money – the loss is unknown as it’s wasted food, heat and electricity.’

Monica Berg and Alex Kratena, owners of independent London-based Tayēr + Elementary bar and restaurant, said businesses like theirs take 70% of revenue after 10pm.

Alex said they are trading 50% less than this time last year and criticised the Government for ‘failing to deliver a functioning track and trace’ for the spike in cases.

Monica said: ‘The fact is, we are being penalised for the government’s weakness and lack of ability. We could have been a great ally, instead we are being blamed for something we did not cause.

Monica Berg, co-owner of London-based Tayēr + Elementary
Monica Berg, co-owner of London-based Tayēr + Elementary, said the Government needs to provide urgent support otherwise hospitality will die (Picture: Bernard Zieja)
People eat and drink oudoors in Soho, London, as coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased across England.
Many said they did not believe the curfew would help curb the spread of the virus (Picture: Empics Entertainment)

‘If this ban is not followed by some sort of protective measures to help hospitality – this week will be remembered as the moment hospitality died.’

Alex added: ‘We have now been served a death sentence. I’ve been here for 15 years, I could lose my life-long dream.’

Hank Hughes-Lundy, director of Big H Hospitality and trading officer for training company Barfection, said he knew of 32 redundancies made by several companies on Tuesday morning.

He said the Government has made hospitality workers seem like ‘the bad guys’, who are being treated as ‘second-class citizens’ during the pandemic.

‘Even though they are in all senses and terms “frontline” workers they were not given anything back, no extra pay, no access to Covid tests,’ the entrepeneur said.

Hank Hughes-Lundy, Manchester.
Hank Hughes-Lundy, director of Big H Hospitality and a bartender, said workers in the industry are being treated as ‘second-class citizens’ (Picture: Take A Photo Natt)

Hank, who is also a bar tender at Foodwell in Manchester, said it has been a stressful time for businesses who have been ‘forced to police’ restrictions, such as the ‘rule of six’, with the threat of fines or losing their licences hanging over them.

He said he didn’t believe the curfew would help transmission rates, adding: ‘If you have a well-regulated track and trace system in effect you will be able to maintain a good coverage of information, but after 10pm it becomes redundant because these people are going to be going to each others’ houses and to the parks.’

Hank urged the public to continue supporting local businesses, which have been ‘battered from all sides’. He added: ‘It’s going to be a hard time for everyone. Don’t panic over what may be coming and be responsible.’

Anthony Lumb, of A&J Inns Ltd, owns 18 venues across West Yorkshire, including pubs and a nightclub, which has been shut for six months.

Anthony Lumb, of A&J Inns Ltd, West Yorkshire.
Anthony Lumb, who owns 18 hospitality venues, agreed the curfew won’t help curb the spread of the virus (Picture: Anthony Lumb)

He said the effect of the curfew on his business will be ‘massive’, having already lost a turnover of 1.2 million. Although he received Government funding worth £25,000, he said it was gone in a month.

‘We will have some staff going if things don’t change,’ he added. ‘It’s just ridiculous – not going to help at all.

‘They will all just go to someone’s house and carry on drinking and putting more people on the dole, as the trade is at breaking point.’

He warned there will be ‘massive job losses’ and the knock-on effect will hurt other industries. Anthony added: ‘I think if people want to come out, let them. If they don’t, stay in, simple.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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