In this week’s news it’s looking anything but a bright and prosperous festive season for hospitality businesses as Covid continues to wreak havoc on society, but the season of goodwill remains as strong as ever when it comes to helping those in need.
Covid passes become mandatory for large events and nightclubs
In case you’ve been hiding under a bush [and we wouldn’t blame you] England has joined Scotland and Wales in the need for Covid passports and / or a negative lateral flow test to enter large events such as football matches and nightclubs. The requirement which became law on Wednesday has understandably caused a great deal of concern with operators in the late night sector who have only just started to recover from 18 months of closure.
Cancellations and staff sickness force hospitality venues to close early for Christmas
The rapid rise of Omicron is having a devastating impact on hospitality, with cancellations and staff sickness forcing some businesses to close earlier than expected before Christmas. Trade bodies and operators have been calling for urgent government support, with fears the industry faces a lockdown in all but name. In London, Evelyn’s Table chef Luke Selby announced on Instagram his restaurant would be closing from 15 December until 11 January. He wrote: “With a heavy heart me and our small team have had to make the difficult decision to close earlier than planned. Due to members of our core team having to isolate – something that is sadly beyond our control at present and ultimately it is our duty and responsibly to keep the team and you our guests safe at this challenging time.”
The Felix Project launches appeal to deliver 3 million meals
With food poverty a growing concern in the UK, it’s great to see charities such as the Felix Project using surplus food donations to feed those in need in London. Every day, 1.5 million adults in the capital struggle to afford to eat and 400,000 children are at risk of missing the next meal. Meanwhile, our food industry generates 3 million tonnes of good, edible surplus food each year. If you’d like to find out more about how you can help, either by donating surplus food or practically, like our client Deliveroo, then click here.
Top tips on how to support hospitality at Christmas
With thousands of bookings being cancelled in pubs and restaurants across the UK our friends in hospitality need as much support as possible. We really like this article which lists ways in which we can all do our bit to help, such as buying a gift voucher and ordering a take away from your favourite eatery.