- Scottish hospitality will face significant operating restrictions including a curfew and capacity limitations until at least June under the country's roadmap out of lockdown. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon set indicative dates for the easing of restrictions on both indoor and outdoor hospitality settings, but stopped short of setting out a timeframe for when all measures would be lifted. Restaurants and pubs will be able to reopen for outdoor and 'limited' indoor service when the country returns to a regional system of restrictions on 26 April. A broader easing of restrictions on indoor hospitality is planned for 17 May - the same as England. Hospitality businesses in Scotland say they are relieved to finally have indicative reopening dates, but remain frustrated about the level of restrictions they will face as they unlock.
- Around 2,000 pubs are estimated to have closed permanently and £8.2bn in value wiped from the sector in beer sales alone in the past 12 months, figures from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) show. In what it describes as “a year to forget for pubs”, the BBPA has called on the Government to ensure pubs can operate without restrictions on 21 June after revealing the devastation the UK’s brewers and pubs have faced in the past 12 months. As well as estimating that 2,000 pubs have closed for good, the trade association says that the Government’s lockdown rules have led to 2.1 billion fewer pints being sold since March last year. The BBPA is calling on the Government to provide wider support to the pub sector – in particular to wet-led pubs that have not benefited from the VAT cut to food - and says it is now vital that pubs can operate without restrictions from 21 June 21as stated in the Government’s roadmap for reopening, to aid with their recovery and the economic fightback after the virus.
- Henry Harris has been appointed chef and beverage director of seafood restaurant group Wright Brothers. Harris’ role covers food, drink and service in Wright Brothers’ four London restaurants, product development for Wright Brothers’ online At Home range, and as an ambassador for Wright Brothers’ wholesale business. Harris, who was head of Knightsbridge French restaurant Racine until it closed in 2015, was most recently involved with London-based pub group Harcourt Inns, where he oversaw the food offer across Harcourt's pubs, including The Truscott Arms in Maida Vale; The Three Cranes in the City of London; the Coach & Horses in Clerkenwell; and The Crown in Chiswick until his departure last year. The appointment coincides with the seafood specialist introducing British steaks and meat onto its menus and will see Harris will put his mark on Wright Brothers’ seafood classics as well as add some new dishes to the menu.
- JOY at Portobello, the outdoor restaurant and retail space created by chef Stevie Parle, is facing an uncertain future that could see it close just a month after reopening. The space, which was opened last summer on the site once home to Parle's beloved Dock Kitchen at London's Portobello Dock, is preparing to relaunch when restrictions on outdoor hospitality settings ease on 12 April. However, the fate of Parle's residency remains up in the air, with the chef struggling to secure a reasonable rent rate in order to take on the site on a longer-term basis. It is understood that interest from other parties wishing to takeover the space is driving up the price of the lease. "I’m hopeful I will get a long lease on the site, but it doesn’t make sense to commit to a huge rent right now," Parle tells BigHospitality.
- Plain clothes police officers could patrol bars and nightclubs across the country under Government plans to step up its protection of women against predatory offenders when on a night out. To "help women feel safer in the night-time economy", the Government will roll-out pilots of ‘Project Vigilant’ across the country. This approach has already be taken by Thames Valley Police where both uniformed and plain clothes officers identify predatory and suspicious offenders bars and clubs. This can involve officers attending areas around clubs and bars undercover, and increased patrols as people leave at closing time. The Government says steps are being taken in response to the outpouring of experiences and concerns following the murder of Sarah Everard.
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