CLH Digital - Issue #49

Issue 49

One Year On: CLHNews

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One year on from the Prime Minister ordering the first COVID-19 lockdown, which forced pubs to close, the British Beer & Pub Association has revealed the devastation the UK’s brewers and pubs have faced.

The trade association has revealed that 2,000 pubs are estimated to have been lost forever to date, 2.1 billion pints in beer sales lost due to a full year of either forced closure, or trading under severe restrictions, and £8.2 billion in trade value wiped out from the sector in beer sales alone.

Since the first lockdown in March 2020, pubs have faced a further two lockdowns. They have also faced severe restrictions to their trade during other peri-

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ods of being “open”, including tier restrictions that ultimately forced many to stay shut regionally or open but under conditions that made their trade unviable due to the 10pm curfew and substantial meal rules.

Last month the Prime Minister unveiled the Government’s roadmap indicating that pubs will reopen outdoors only from April 12th at the earliest, followed by indoors from May 17th at the earliest and with all restrictions lifted by June 21st at the earliest.

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CLH Digital

Issue 49

Editor's Viewpoint

Welcome to the latest issue of CLH DIGITAL It's just over three weeks until the on trade and hospitality sector can open outdoors!

PUBLISHED BY

Small steps and, while welcome, my support is firmly behind Manchester’s night-time economy adviser Sacha Lord, who previously successfully challenged the government over its ludicrous substantial meal policy and is now challenging the government in the High Court on the government’s reopening roadmap.

EDITOR

I hope this shines a significant light on the government’s roadmap. This case has merit - the government had provided no evidence whatsoever in keeping pubs, bars and restaurants closed five weeks longer than shops.

Peter Adams

In it’s response to the request the government provided no evidence - “imagine my shock”!

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Of course they could provide no evidence. There is none! “Lockdown policies in Western Europe have no evidence impact on the Covid 19 epidemic” that was the headline of a study which never made its way to mainstream.

Nevertheless, we are where we are. One year on our lead story highlights the devastation to the on trade sector. In particular, 2,000 pubs are estimated to have been lost forever to date, 2.1 billion pints in beer sales lost due to a full year of either forced closure, or trading under severe restrictions, and £8.2 billion in trade value wiped out from the sector in beer sales alone.

As far as I am concerned, I would open the sector without any restriction NOW! But, as I say above, small steps and I am delighted that sector is gearing itself up to outdoor opening on April 12.

Also great to publish some good news - a fantastic story about Phil Hoyle, who runs the London Tavern in Poulner, Ringwood, in Hampshire, who moved his pub quiz online during the first lockdown – and has continued ever since, to great success taking part from all over the world. (See page 6.)

I loved the idea of him presenting himself with an “Employee of the Month” award, and tempted to do that myself, I think I’ve earned it!

It was also a timely intervention by Prince Charles in his delivery to the Master Innholders event. (See page 13.)

@CLHNews CLHNews My favourite restaurant here in Bournemouth decided not to reopen in June 2020, after 34 years of trading - a traditional family run Italian restaurant lovely warm hospitality with food cooked “from the heart”.

Not only are these businesses losses to the sector and the wider economy they are losses to the local community.

I am optimistic that this trend can and will be reversed. A pub where we once sponsored a football team and frequented quite often is now in new hands and undergoing a massive refurbishment! A really good old traditional pub being refurbished in keeping with its good old traditional heritage What was more heartening were the supportive comments in our local newspaper by people who feared that the pub was closed for good.

So, as we now enter the “roadmap to reopening” I hope that Boris Johnson holds his nerve and ignores the naysayers who keep us in lockdown irrespective of the damage it does to businesses, the economy, public well-being and mental health!

His Royal Highness said something we sadly now have come to acknowledge that “The British hospitality industry is one of this country’s greatest success stories, and one which, I fear, we may have taken somewhat for granted. As often seems to happen, it is when something we treasure is endangered that we appreciate it most. As I am sure you will agree, any deprivation does rather sharpen the appetite”!

Once again we called have on some of the industry’s leading lights and influential figures to provide the knowledge, insight and expertise to help operators trade their way through this crisis.

In simple terms we often don’t appreciate something until it’s gone. And the loss of 2000 pubs, and lord knows how many restaurants, is a devastating blow.

Please do email us with any of your news and views we would be delighted to print them and I can only be contacted on edit@catererlicensee.com

Once we are open, keep us open!!!

EDITOR Peter Adams

SALES EXECUTIVES David Bartlett Guy Stephenson

PRODUCTION & DESIGN Matthew Noades

PRODUCTION & WEB ADMIN Shelly Roche Published Publishedbyby

One Year On: 2,000 Pubs Lost 2.1 Billion Pints in Beer Sales Lost- £8.2 Billion in Trade Wiped Out Issue 49

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(...CONTINUED FROM FRON`T COVER)

“Our sector has been devastated by COVID-19 and the lockdowns. It has been a year to forget for the Great British Pub.

Nick Mackenzie, CEO of Greene King, commented on the year anniversary of pub closures:

Whilst the BBPA has welcomed continued support for the sector in the most recent Budget, in the form of £2 billion worth of measures including grants and furlough support, it stated that longer term investment in the sector was still needed.

“It is estimated that 2,000 pubs have been lost forever. 2.1 billion pints in beer sales have also been missed, wiping out £8.2 billion in trade value from the sector.

“It’s hard to believe that on 20 March it will be a year since we first closed our pubs. Looking back, we had no idea of the challenges we would face including three national lockdowns, tiered and regional reopening strategies, a myriad of different trading restrictions as well as the financial impact on the business. While many of our 40,000 team members have been furloughed and struggled with the uncertainty, I have been continually amazed by their positivity, resilience and sense of community. The stories of how they have pulled together throughout the crisis, in particular supporting their local communities and volunteering for good causes have been inspiring.

It also expressed concern for wet-led pubs who would not be able to take advantage of the VAT cut for hospitality, which only applied to food, soft drinks and accommodation, and urged the Government to provide more support for these community pubs.

It says it is now all the more important that pubs can operate without restrictions from June 21st as stated in the Government’s roadmap for reopening, to aid with their recovery and the economic fightback after the virus. This comes as new research by the think tank Localis revealed that pubs have a vital role to play in the COVID-19 recovery and Government’s own levelling up agenda, but that to do so they must reopen fully by June 21st.

Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said:

“Sadly, we still haven’t seen the full extent of the damage yet and won’t do for some time until things really do go back to normal. And by normal, I mean a return to what life was like pre-covid.

“Whilst we continue to assess the full damage to our sector, I urge the Government to look at providing more support for our wet-led community pubs who, although grateful for all the support they received in the Budget, will not benefit from the VAT cut to food in the same way restaurants will. Local wet-led pubs have been amongst the worst affected by the virus so it’s important the Government goes that little bit further for them.

“It is becoming all the more clear that the Government must ensure all our pubs are fully re-opened on June 21st as indicated in the roadmap. This is when their recovery will really start and until then we stand to lose more pubs and community assets.”

“The last year has taught us how important pubs are to communities, and I know our customers are keen to reconnect with their friends and family over a pint or a meal, so it is imperative that we are able to operate without restrictions from 21 June so we can all enjoy the summer.

Whilst there will still be challenges in the months ahead, we stand ready to open our doors and welcome people back to the Great British pub experience they know and love.”

COVID-Status Certification Review – Call For Evidence The government is reviewing whether COVID-status certification could play a role in reopening our economy, reducing restrictions on social contact and improving safety.

COVID-status certification refers to the use of testing or vaccination data to confirm in different settings that individuals have a lower risk of getting sick with or transmitting COVID-19 to others. Such certification would be available both to vaccinated people and to unvaccinated people who have been tested.

The government will assess to what extent certification would be effective in reducing risk, and its potential uses in enabling access to settings or relaxing COVID-secure mitigations.

The government is looking to consider the ethical, equalities, privacy, legal and operational aspects of a potential certification scheme, and what limits, if any, should be placed on organisations using certification, and are issuing this

call for evidence to inform this review into COVID-status certification, to ensure that the recommendations reflect a broad range of interests and concerns.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove said: “This review into Covid-status certification is an important part of our plan to help reopen the country and return to normal. However, we recognise that there are complex issues of ethics, privacy and inclusion that need to be fully considered.

That is why I want to get as many views as possible on Covid-status certification and its potential implications to help inform the review.”

The Government has committed to concluding its review into Covid-status certification ahead of Step Four of the four-stage lockdown easing plan, which will happen no earlier than 21 June.

For further details https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/ covid-status-certification-review-call-for-evidence

Preparing for the Reopening of Hospitality 4

CLH Digital

Issue 49

With the reopening of the hospitality sector on the (longawaited) horizon, Hayden Hibbert, Director of Client Relations at allmanhall (www.allmanhall.co.uk) the independently owned food procurement expert, provides advice on procedures and operational changes to help ease the pressure faced by caterers and enable the safety of staff and customers, as venues start welcoming back guests.

away, click-and-collect, drive-through and delivery services. Decisions need to be made as to whether these will continue, or if pre-lockdown services will be resumed, which can impact on staff numbers. With many permanent closures, there may be an opportunity by way of a pool of talented resource available. As more of your team are brought back into the workplace, it is important that staff have the appropriate training and advice on new working procedures that ensure everyone is aware of COVID-19 compliant practices.

If staff are absent due to sickness, it is important to have contingency plans in place to deal with the shortfall. It would be good to undergo a cost analysis of buying in some prepared meals versus cooking in house and looking at batch cooking to ease pressures. Menus could be simplified, with simpler dishes that require reduced labour.

SOCIAL DISTANCING With the distancing rules still in place, it is necessary to review the flow in a kitchen. Ease the pressure and help with safety by staggering the time of staff arrival and departure and create shift working and a flexible rota system. If limited space, introduce one-way travel, and - of course - make sure there is adequate PPE. Similar distancing rules will apply when it comes to your customers, with arrangements such as clearly marked one-way systems around a restaurant and so forth.

HYGIENE A number of hospitality establishments continued to operate during lockdown, with takeaway, click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery services, and will have a good infrastructure in place to provide an environment that is safe and COVID compliant as they begin to fully reopen.

Other establishments that remained closed may well have used this time to also look at risk assessment and ensure they can meet the new demands once restrictions are lifted. With the relaxing of restrictions and the reopening milestone rapidly approaching, experienced caterer, allmanhall’s Hibbert advises that, after a period of closure, now would be a good time to revisit and refresh operational practices prior to welcoming back customers, to ensure everything runs smoothly. It may also be a chance to embrace innovation and new ideas…

REVIEW STAFF WORKING PRACTICES One of the most critical planning considerations is staff numbers and their ability to cope with a change in procedures. The pandemic forced a number of establishments to trial new operation methods, such as take-

Kitchens will already be designed with good hygiene in mind. Now is an opportunity to update cleaning schedules, such as introducing more regular cleaning, concentrating on key touch points. It could be a good idea to look at deep cleaning the whole kitchen area prior to re-opening.

Remove unnecessary furnishings and other items from eating and cooking areas which can harbor germs and ensure any staff uniforms are cleaned more frequently. Some equipment may need maintenance after a period of inaction, and others, such as fridges and display counters, a thorough clean prior to restocking.

the pandemic and may still be adjusting. Many foodservice suppliers, still recovering from the initial lockdown, are now carrying out impact assessments, appraising their resource requirements and will need to control costs and optimise distribution. With the possibility of a disruption in supplies of some products, it is important to communicate with suppliers regularly. Give them early indications of volume changes as menus change. Continue to support and extend empathy to suppliers during this challenging trading time, understanding that some flexibility around delivery days and product availability may be required. If you are using a procurement partner, like allmanhall, they will be in constant dialogue with these suppliers and will offer advice about stock-taking devices and other innovations available. Something else a procurement partner can help with is checking if suppliers have COVID compliant practices in place. Even if they do, you can take simple steps like considering buying in cases, to reduce touch points.

OPPORTUNITY TO TRIAL NEW IDEAS With many businesses having to reinvent themselves, now is a good time for trialing new ideas and introducing labour saving technology in the kitchen.

Consider using a procurement provider who can help implement a software support platform which can lead to significant cost savings. An independent benchmark of the current pricing from existing suppliers, compared like for like with others by an independent procurement supplier can result in savings with very little effort, and is a good exercise in due diligence.

Create more seasonal menus, with weekly or even daily menu planning, taking advantage of lower prices for foods in season. Catering-controls platforms will help cost menus and eliminate waste, as well as bringing other technological benefits.

FOOD SAFETY AND SUPPLY CHAIN CONSIDERATIONS

Seek advice. There is plenty of information covering all aspects of reopening available from the Government web site https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/reopening-checklist-for-foodbusinesses-during-covid-19

With restaurants closed for long periods of time, it is important to check that existing stock has not passed the use-by and best before dates. Reordering and restocking will be required, and it will be wise to place orders in advance with as much notice and flexibility as possible, as elements of the supply chain have been under extreme pressure during

With an expected surge in restaurant and pub bookings in April, by a public keen to start enjoying themselves again, some upfront planning, a willingness to and continued spirit of embracing new ideas, together with some good communication, should help to make this a happy time for all.

Breaking Bread Hospitality Project Set to Return in Spring 2021 Breaking Bread is a ground-breaking hospitality project that first opened it’s tipi doors to the people of Bristol in the summer of 2020.

“Breaking Bread also provided a significant boost for the city's residents. Many of whom had been feeling the strain of the city’s hospitality closure. 37,000 people passed through our doors on Bristol’s iconic Downs. Selling out tables for restaurants and pub gardens months in advance.

A joint project between Bristol restaurants The Pony & Trap, Pasta Loco, iconic pub The Pipe and Slippers and festival and event organisers Team Love. Breaking Bread is a stunning socially distanced tipi village, featuring two 60-cover dining spaces serving food from The Pony & Trap and Pasta Loco - as well as two pub-cafe gardens from The Love Inn and Pipe and Slippers.

“Something we paid particular attention to and something which is a strong passion of mine is sustainability. This has long been an ingrained ethos at Team Love, as well as our collaborators at The Pony & Trap, Pasta Loco and The Pipe and Slippers. So creating a sustainable operation and mitigating carbon emissions and negative impacts was 100% on our agenda.

First opening in July 2020, it ran until October of that year.

Organisers have now spent the winter months evaluating the impact and successes of the projects and have released a full impact report.

Here, Pauline Bourdon, Team Love’s social cohesion and sustainability coordinator and author of the reports shares the findings and explains just how beneficial this project was for the South West hospitality scene: “The entire reason behind Breaking Bread was to provide a circular economic boost for the region. It’s definitely an understatement to say 2020 was a very difficult year for everyone in the hospitality industry.

With Breaking Bread we wanted to do everything we could to provide a boost for the people and businesses within it.

“Getting people off furlough and back into work was paramount and overall we employed 100 staff. That’s 100 people off furlough and out of the universal credit system. Writing this impact report, we’ve estimated that Breaking Bread’s direct employment has saved the government around £220,000.

“Implementing stringent waste management policies, we issued three contracts to local experts. Our general waste was managed by Bristol Waste, their track record in waste management and their sustainability and green credentials made them the perfect fit for this.

“Food waste management was dealt with by Geneco. They have a fantastic solution to food waste management which saw all of Breaking Bread’s food waste sent to their anaerobic digestion plant to be processed and into renewable energy sources and agricultural bio-fertiliser. All of our waste streams were handled by HR Waste, who saw to it that everything was properly and responsibly distributed to the appropriate channel.

“We’ve calculated that Breaking Bread and all of its related activities were responsible for the emission of 16.4 tonnes of CO2. This was entirely balanced through a collection of global tree planting and land protection initiatives, which we achieved through our partners at Ecolibrium.”

To conclude, Bourdon said: “This report is just the start of how we plan to operate our events in the future, tracking our environmental, community and economic impact so we can put in a process of continual improvement.

“We’re all passionate about producing experiences which also offer benefit to our city of Bristol, reducing food poverty and creating opportunities for our customers to engage with community projects in a meaningful way.”

“Contractors and suppliers are also an essential part of Bristol hospitality and events industry. From our surveys, we found that 78% lost between 60 and 99% of activities due to full lockdown restrictions while 22% of them lost all their contracts. By July when restrictions were relaxed, 77% of our contractors recovered up to 40% of their prior work and contracts, with Breaking Bread making up 66.7% of that regained activity.”

Breaking Bread is slated for a return in the Spring of 2021. As part of its return, the team will also be introducing The Team Canteen; a centralised space amongst the tipis that will form the hub of a newly created CIC. It’ll be a fully equipped kitchen capable of providing education, training, and food production, which we’ll be making available to local community groups and charities.

“Bringing these contractors back online and operational was crucial. In re-engaging with the supply chain, we injected £561,000 back into these businesses.

The report was authored by Pauline Bourdon, Team Love sustainability coordinator, to view the full report please visit: https://www.breakingbreadbristol.co.uk/impactreport

Hospitality Ready To Power The UK’s Recovery Issue 49

Hospitality can drive the UK’s economic recovery, create jobs and bring communities back together this summer—but only if it gets the support it needs from government.

Those are the views from the top of the industry, as revealed in CGA’s new Business Leaders’ Survey with Fourth. Four in five (81%) survey respondents said the sector could boost the economy as the UK recovers from the battering of the COVID-19 pandemic, while two thirds (65%) agree it can stimulate job creation.

The Survey has revealed a sharp rise in confidence in the hospitality sector, with half (54%) of leaders now feeling optimistic about prospects for their businesses over the next 12 months—double the total of 27% in November. Three in five (59%) now plan to open new sites in 2021, while more than three quarters (76%) expect to recruit new staff. Many people who were furloughed or lost jobs in hospitality in 2020 will steadily return in the coming months, and on average leaders think their workforce will be back to 90% of pre-Covid levels by December.

Job creation will also be stimulated by new entrants to the market too. Half (49%) of leaders anticipate these will arrive at levels above or in line with 2019, while another 38% expect new entrants, but below 2019 levels.

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As well as rebooting the economy, hospitality has a role to play in reuniting communities, families and friends—particularly important in light of CGA research showing how the pandemic has taken a toll on the mental wellbeing of consumers. Just over half (53%) of business leaders say they see a big part for hospitality in bringing communities together after months of lockdowns and isolation.

However, many businesses remain in urgent need of government support if the sector is to avoid a major increase in the 12,000 licensed premises that have closed in Britain since December 2019. They would also welcome support from local government to open up street space so they can kickstart a recovery by taking full advantage of opportunities to trade outdoors from mid-April.

Karl Chessell, CGA’s business unit director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA, says: “There’s no doubt that hospitality will help to reignite the UK’s economy and social life this summer and beyond.

We are likely to see a major release of pent-up spending, and the growing confidence of business leaders suggests plenty of jobs will be created in the coming months. In the meantime businesses need help to get through to reopening, followed by the freedom to trade fully again as soon as possible.”

Night-Time Economy Adviser To Take Latest Legal Challenge To The High Court Night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester Sacha Lord has confirmed that is to take High Court action to force a judicial review of the reopening roadmap after the government failed to provide any new evidence why indoor hospitality cannot open the same day as non-essential retail.

Mr Lord is calling for pubs and restaurants be allowed to have customers indoors from Monday, 12 April the same date as non-essential shops reopen. Earlier this month Lord and Punch Taverns founder and former director of Pizza Express Hugh Osmond sent a letter to the prime minister, they said there is no “evidence or justification” to open shops five weeks before pubs and restaurants adding that it is “plainly irrational”, and asked the government to seek specific advice from sci-

entists “whether it is justifiable to prevent the hospitality industry opening whilst, at the same time, allowing non-essential shops to open”.

Under previous tier rules in England, hospitality venues could only serve alcohol alongside a ‘substantial meal’, a requirement which has been dropped by the UK government in its roadmap to reopening.

They argued that “transmission is plainly higher in non-essential shops,” and said they would pursue legal action if the government did not provide evidence to the contrary.

In a tweet yesterday (17 March), Lord said: “The whole legal team now have everything prepped and ready. The government has until the end of today to show us the evidence. Hospitality, with measures in place, should open the same day as non-essential retail.” Just after 6pm, he followed up saying: “We’ve just received the government’s response.

It has failed to introduce any new evidence as to why indoor hospitality cannot open the same day as non-essential retail. We’ll now be working through the night to take our case to the High Court for a judicial review.”

Mr Lord was successful in a previous challenge which forced the government to drop its ‘substantial meal’ rule. Judges ruled in favour of Lord, who brought a court case against health secretary Matt Hancock arguing that the restrictions were discriminatory towards certain sections of society.

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How the Hospitality Sector Can Benefit from Pent-Up Consumer Demand 6

CLH Digital

Issue 49

By Kunal Sawhney, CEO of Kalkine (www.kalkine.co.uk) It is a known fact that the UK hospitality sector is one the worst hit due to the pandemic. As the nation is moving towards an economic revival, it is expected that a significant pent-up demand can boost consumer spending in the hospitality and retail sector.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out (EOHO) scheme introduced in 2020 was a great success and had helped in supporting the spending in the sector.

According to a survey conducted by the Scottish Friendly and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), consumer spending in the UK is expected to increase by over £50 billion in 2021. About 28 per cent of Britons plan to increase their spending in restaurants and cafes in 2021, regardless of the re-introduction of EOHO scheme.

Meanwhile, pub and beer establishments may see about a 19 per cent increase in consumer spending fueled by the pent-up demand, the survey highlighted.

Experts believe that various sectors will witness a short-term boost as and when lockdown restrictions ease out. For the hospitality sector to benefit from this, here is a list of actions that the government can take to extend its support to the industry, according to trade body UKHospitality: • Ramp up vaccinations: The UK mass vaccination drives have been so far successful.

Thus, ramping up the inoculation process is a key step in ensuring that the sector recovers at a faster pace. As the most vulnerable sections of the population get vaccinated it will

Pub’s Quiz Finds the Answer!

A small pub in the New Forest has built an unlikely worldwide following through its weekly lockdown quizzes broadcast over Facebook.

Entrants from as far north as the Shetland Islands and as far south as Australia log on to watch the landlord of the London Tavern host the competition.

help dissipate fears of reopening businesses.

• Build consumer confidence: The sector has seen very low transmission rates since last summer, as businesses in conjunction with the government put in place covid-19 secure measures. Yet despite the sector’s safety and faster vaccination rates, certain segments of the population are still hesitant to go out to restaurants and food joints. Increasing awareness of the hospitality sector’s safety is important in boosting confidence in consumers.

• Long-term business support: While the measures announced in the Budget 2021 to help boost the hospitality sector was hailed, support in areas such as rent support for businesses and pubs, an inclusive VAT tax to include alcohol and other measures are essential in ensuring the industry can bounce back in the longer run.

• International travel: The international travel sector is an important component in ensuring the recovery of the hospitality industry and the wider economy. This makes it essential for the government to chalk out clear timelines and conditions for the travel and tourism sector to resume operations, ahead of the summer holiday season.

Technology Besides the above-mentioned measures, the use of technology can also help recovery in the sector. According to the British Beer & Pub Association, the UK pub industry is expected to see a loss of beer sales of up to £54 million this St. Patrick’s Day as they are closed currently. As pubs with beer gardens are set to reopen on 12 April, apps such as Boozr have emerged as a choice for pub goers to socialise in real life in a user’s vicinity with the help of interactive maps to help boost the hospitality industry.

out drinking.

Phil, who has spent the lockdown helping his community and providing free meals to key workers, uses the platform to promote his take-away meals and beers.

He said: “It’s been a really hard year, but the quizzes have helped us stay in touch with regulars, and people are tuning in from around the world.

“We’ve had people from all over the UK as well as America, Europe and even the southern hemisphere, which means they have to get up really early.

“It’s been a huge surprise that people who don’t know anything about the pub and have never been are joining us every Thursday at 8pm.

Phil Hoyle, who runs the hostelry in Poulner, Ringwood, in Hampshire, moved his pub quiz online during the first lockdown – and has continued ever since.

“The quiz is meant as a bit of fun and many people say it has helped them through the lockdowns.

“We’ve also hosted some live music over Facebook and we’ll keep doing it until we can open properly and have people back in.

Hundreds tune in each week not only to answer questions but to be entertained by the antics of the host.

“We’re only a small pub, a bit out of the way, but we’ve received huge support from the community and we’ve been doing our bit.

Phil drinks enthusiastically through the quizzes, commenting on the various ales and offering insights into the bar snacks that he consumes, especially pork scratchings.

“All being well we’ll reopen on April 12 and we’ll probably still do the quizzes on Facebook as well as ‘live’ in the pub.”

During the lockdowns he has presented himself with the ‘employee of the month’ award with great ceremony.

Phil and fiancée Sarah Williams have run the London Tavern for three years.

He entertains viewers with updates about the pub and tales of nights

Chefs’ Favourite Irish Food is Colcannon Finds Lakeland Dairies’ Survey for St Patrick’s Day Lakeland Dairies, a dairy farming co-operative steeped in Irish heritage has partnered with the UK’s leading Chef organisation The Craft Guild of Chefs, to survey their members during their annual Celebrate Green campaign.

Celebrate Green incorporates St Patrick’s Day (17th March 2021) and runs for the whole month of March. Its focus is to celebrate the lush green grass of the Co-operative’s 3200 family farms, where Lakeland Dairies’ milk is made from contented cows grazing freely on lush, green pastures of its family farms, located on the beautiful Isle of Ireland.

The survey found chefs’ favourite Irish food is Colcannon (25%). A delicious and popular side dish created with a comforting creamy mixture of buttery mash and greens. Colcannon was closely followed by Irish Coffee Cheesecake (20%) and Dublin Bay Prawns (17%).

56% of chefs said it is important (40%), or extremely important (16%) to buy dairy products that come from Northern Ireland (UK), or Ireland.

And 97% of chefs said it is important (35%) or extremely important (62%) to them that their dairy products come from farms where cows can graze freely on green grass.

Paul Chmielewski, Head of Marketing and International at Lakeland Dairies comments, “Celebrate Green during the month of March is a fantastic opportunity to embrace our Irish heritage and dairy farming excellence. St Patricks Day is such a popular event throughout the globe, when many households will be creating some of their favourite

Irish dishes and food. We were delighted to see Colcannon come out on top!”

Lakeland Dairies creates professional dairy products for chefs including a range of creams which have been carefully crafted and treated to have great taste, and to provide a longer life for added convenience in busy kitchens.

The survey found chefs top three valuable properties in cream were taste (86%), quality (83%), and performance (64%).

With 91% of chefs agreeing that long life creams have excellent properties for professional cooking, with 16% of those ‘strongly agreeing’.

The survey also found 70% of chefs use long life cream at work, with 24% of those chefs using them often.

THE CHEFS’ TOP TEN FAVOURITE IRISH FOODS Colcannon Irish Coffee Cheesecake Dublin Bay Prawns Irish Sone and Jam Boxty Pancakes Dublin Coddle and Chump Chocolate & Stout Cake Seafood Chowder Irish Stew Irish Porter Cheese www.lakelanddairies.com

LAKELAND DAIRIES’ COLCANNON RECIPE Makes 12 portions

Ingredients 100ml Millac Gold Double 1kg Mashed Potato 150g Diced Leeks 200g Shredded Cabbage 100g Lakeland Dairies Butter Sea Salt Milled Black Pepper

Method Melt the butter in a pan and cook with the leeks without colour Add the cabbage and wilt Pour in the cream and then add the potato Add seasoning and serve

Issue 49

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Calls to Extend Kickstart Scheme Deadline by 6 Months The Government should extend the Kickstart Scheme application deadline until June 2022, CBI President Lord Bilimoria has said in a speech to the Association of School and College Leaders (15 March).

By businesses and Government working together to make the Kickstart application process smoother and more efficient, Lord Bilimoria said many more school leavers will stand to benefit from the scheme.

By participating in the programme, young people are more likely to develop skills like teamwork, confidence and communication lost during lockdown – essential to a lasting and fulfilling career.

On extending the Kickstart deadline, Lord Bilimoria said: “The Kickstart programme is a fantastic example of partnership between business, Government and education. But it’s not been perfect from day one. At first businesses had to create 30 jobs to qualify, making it very difficult for SMEs to participate. The Government listened and removed that limit.

“Since then, countless employers have signed up with more than 150,000 placements approved. But of those 150,000 fewer than 5,000

are actually up and running – less than 4%. It’s understandable where the latest lockdown has put plans on pause. Some sectors, like retail or hospitality, can’t get placements started until they re-open. Yet many others are struggling with the process.

“On the one hand, we’ve seen a vote of confidence in the scheme from firms. But on the other – a real sense worry for employers and school leavers as otherwise ‘oven-ready’ opportunities get lost in delays and red tape.

“With the scheme due to end in less than 9 months employers simply don’t have enough time to make the most of it. Extending the deadline by six months would account for any delays as our economy re-opens, guarantee time to process the huge demand for placements, and ensure as many young people benefit from the scheme as possible.

“We need the same responsiveness from Government we saw earlier in the year. Because for many businesses it’s taking too long to get a response from government, too long to match placements with candidates, and it’s unclear why some applications have been rejected. We need to do things quicker, with more transparency to make these opportunities a reality.”

On young people’s ‘lost learning’, Lord Bilimoria said: “We must strive to support not only those currently in education but those young people, about to leave and enter the world of work for the first time. Because we know school leavers and graduates will be among the hardest hit by this crisis.

“Right now, businesses’ role in society is to help the UK forge the strongest possible recovery from this crisis. We want to see a scale of investment and economic vision that will ensure every young person leaving education in the next few years can have a long, fulfilling career.

Supporting those who may have missed out, in the past 12 months and risk falling behind.

“My worry is that companies have heard about ‘lost learning’ on the news but don’t know what it means for them – or how they can help.

For business, there must be one, resounding answer: we will not – cannot – fail this generation.

“At the CBI – we’ll be working with our members, with Ofqual, with the Department for Education and with the Department for Work and Pensions having that vital conversation – and looking at how firms can help.”

Local Residents Back New Village Shop for Northamptonshire Pub There is also a book swap at the shop where locals can borrow and add any books. The pub is also offering a takeaway menu with toasties, bagels and paninis along with evening meals such as fish & chips and sausage & mash.

Publicans Martin Steele and Laura Cook have opened a village shop at The George Inn at Tiffield, Northamptonshire, with the help and support of local residents and Pub is The Hub, the not-for-profit organisation that helps pubs to diversify and provide essential local services.

Publican Laura Cook said: “Since we took on the pub last year the local residents have been fully supportive. We really appreciated the support of locals in helping us to get the shop open. There was a real need for a shop locally offering essentials, takeaway food items and good coffee and we have been delighted at how popular it is proving.

The couple took on the pub in July 2020 just as the industry was opening up after the first Covid-19 lockdown. After an extensive refurbishment The George was reopened in August with great support from the local residents.

By the second lockdown the enterprising publicans realised that there was demand for a village shop. Many local residents did not want to travel as they were elderly and vulnerable and there was also a need to help combat the social isolation of lockdown.

She adds: “It was also important that we were able to connect with locals that were feeling isolated and needed support at this difficult time through the village shop. They have really enjoyed being able to walk to the shop and have a quick chat. We cannot wait to welcome everyone back to the pub when we are able to reopen.”

A grant from the Pub is The Hub Community Services Fund meant that one of the rooms at the pub was transformed into a shop.

Villagers helped to give their time to help get the shop up and running too.

Regional advisor for Pub is The Hub Dave Allan said: “Publicans Laura and Martin have really made themselves part of the local area in a short space of time.

Gluten-free bakery, The Little Bakery of Happiness provides the shop with pies, cakes and tarts, while previous Tiffield resident, Steve Reid from Friars Farm, supplies homemade pickles and jam. Eggs are delivered each week from a farm at Greens Norton and there are twice weekly bread deliveries from Whittlebury Bakery.

“The village shop has become a crucial amenity for those living locally and has helped to keep the spirits up of many in the local area.”

Scotland Extends Rent Irritation Moratorium The Scottish government has announced that it will be extending its rent irritation moratorium for a further six months, until the end of September.

The regulation, which has been used extensively by the hospitality industry, shares similarities with England and Wales’ lease forfeiture moratorium active, which prevents landlords from repossessing properties during the pandemic.

In comparison, England and Wales’ moratorium has been extended by three months, until the end of June.

UKHospitality Scotland Executive Director Willie Macleod said: “This is a helpful and pragmatic move by the Scottish Government. After the moratorium was extended in England and Wales, it was absolutely right that Scotland followed suit. We are

grateful that it has gone even further and been extended for an additional six months.

“As with the rest of the UK, rent debt for Scottish hospitality businesses has spiralled to frightening levels. It has become a huge burden that threatens the immediate survival and the chances of growth for businesses. Extending the moratorium was necessary to give businesses breathing room and stay alive for the forthcoming reopening.

“This is only a stay of execution, though. The UK Government’s call for evidence must find an equitable solution that brings landlords to the table and shares out this burden fairly – and it must consider measures that also apply in Scotland. This burden is the result of a once-in-a-lifetime crisis and hospitality cannot be expected to shoulder it alone.”

RECONDITIONED & SECOND USER CATERING EQUIPMENT EDWARDS, KING & EDWARDS • We have a comprehensive range of Re-conditioned Catering Equipment in stock • We can supply most of the markets leading names in New Equipment at competitive prices • Full Service & Installation facilities by fully qualified engineers • We can also supply modular fridge & freezer rooms

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High Street Occupants – Are You Ready For The Fallout?

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By Tim Carter, Partner and Matthew Padian, Managing Associate, Stevens & Bolton LLP (www.stevens-bolton.com)

have resorted to formal insolvency procedures – hence the wave of ‘landlord’ CVAs over the last year from the likes of Caffe Nero, Pizza Express, Pizza Hut, Poundstretcher and Travelodge. Others have concluded that some parts of the high street are no longer for them and closed stores altogether, such as the recent decision made by Thorntons. And then sadly some, like Debenhams and a large part of the Arcadia Group, have fallen into administration – their presence on the high street removed and their core brands sold off to online retailers.

There are various reasons why this group have been forced to take such actions. Some have long leases on loss-making sites without any expectation of a future turnaround, whilst others have concluded that the moratorium on forfeiture and restrictions on the use of winding up petitions does not wipe out rent arrears and an operational restructuring is needed now.

Summer may be around the corner, but chill economic winds are forecast to blow through many a UK high street for a good while yet.

According to a recent report published by PwC and the Local Data Company, store closures hit a record of 48 per day during 2020, with shopping centres particularly badly affected and losing 7.1 per cent of their units. In light of these troubling statistics, what might the future hold for the UK’s high street occupants?

THE HIGH-STREET RESPONSE The response has broadly speaking been twofold. On the one hand, a number of businesses – including some large, household names – have sought to seize the initiative by taking matters into their own hands, concluding that their future prospects are best served by undertaking remedial measures now.

Into this camp fall those that have sought rent concessions from landlords. Where consensual negotiations with landlords have failed, some

And then there is a second group of high street occupants who have soldiered on and not yet succumbed to the worst effects of the pandemic. Many of these have benefited from government support measures. And who can blame them? As recently as last week, the moratorium that prevents landlords from evicting commercial tenants for non-payment of rent has been re-extended until the end of June, and this year’s Spring Budget granted further extension of the business rates holiday as well as the VAT cut for hospitality and tourism businesses. The furlough scheme has also been extended to September and from April, the new recovery loan scheme is available to the end of this year.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE Much uncertainty abounds. No one knows how quickly and in what volumes consumers will return to the high street, or whether the shift to online shopping and takeaway dining, accelerated by the pandemic, reflects a permanent change or just a passing fad. Add to this the future whereabouts of the UK office worker – with many predicting a hybrid

working pattern (e.g., a split week at home and the office) – and it is clear that high street occupants will need to be flexible as they plan for a highly unpredictable future.

However, one thing is for certain: government support measures will not last forever. There will come a time when businesses are expected to stand on their own two feet. When that time comes, re-starting operations whilst being hamstrung by accumulated rent arrears, VAT liabilities and CBILS/BBLS debts built up over the pandemic will prove the real test that many business owners fear.

SOLUTIONS In truth, there are no one-size-fits-all answers. We hear that city centre locations are proving less popular, with some high streets in smaller towns experiencing a ‘renaissance’ and retail parks holding up comparatively well, as shoppers can access them without using public transport.

But these are all generalisations.

We have also seen the following developments: tenants offering incentives to landlords to accept rent concessions by moving towards a turnover-based rent; seeking new investment from investors (sadly not always an available option for employee-owned businesses like John Lewis); exploiting new consumer preferences (such as takeaway services), or new supply or debt channels (perhaps by enhancing supplier credit terms or partnering up with delivery providers). Some may also look to flex banking covenants and maturities, whilst others might repurpose premises to enhance the shopping experience. Undertaking an operational restructuring via a formal legal process to buy more time from creditors might also be an option.

Undoubtedly, these are challenging times that might take some while to recover from. But those who can flex and emerge from this period from a position of strength may find they have a very healthy future to look forward to.

Wetherspoon Like-for-Like Sales Fall

JD Wetherspoon has reported a 53.9% decline in like-for-like sales in the 26 weeks to 24 January 2021, with revenue down by 53.8% to £431.1m (2020: £933.0m).

The business also announced it had agreed a further £51.7m from the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) earlier this month. The company said that like-for-like bar sales in the half year decreased by 57.3% (2020: up 4.2%), food by 48.4% (2020: up 5.6%) and fruit/slot machines by 53.7% (2020: up 20.3%). Like-for-like hotel room sales decreased by 51.8% (2020: down 1.3%). Pre-IFRS 16 operating profit decreased to minus £20.7m (2020: £76.6m).

The operating margin was minus 4.8% (2020: 8.2%). Loss before tax and exceptional items was £46.2m (2020: £57.9m profit), including property losses of £1.3m (2020: £0.2m). The company said total capital investment was £19.0m in the period (2020: £135.8m), with £1.4m spent on freehold reversions of properties where Wetherspoon was the tenant (2020: £70.6m); £7.1m on new pub openings and extensions, mainly in respect of the Keavan’s Port Hotel in Dublin (2020: £34.8m); and £9.6m on existing pubs (2020: £32.8m).

During the period, the company opened two new pubs and closed or sold two, bringing the number open at the period end to 872. Following a review of its estate, in recent years, the business placed about 100 pubs on the market, most of which it said had now been sold. Ten years ago (FY11) the group’s freehold/leasehold split was 43.4%/56.6%. At the half-year end, it was 64.4%/35.6%. As at 24 January 2021, the company’s net debt, including bank borrowings and finance leases, but excluding derivatives, was £811.9m (2020: £817.0m).

Commenting on the results, Tim Martin, the Chairman of J D Wetherspoon plc, said: “Wetherspoon and its employees, along with the hospitality industry, have worked very hard to comply with ever-changing government guidelines. It is disappointing that so many regulations, implemented at tremendous cost to the nation, appear to have had no real basis in common sense or science - for example, curfews, “substantial meals” with drinks and masks for bathroom visits. “The future of the industry, and of the UK economy, depends on a consistent set of sensible policies, and the ending of lockdowns and tier systems, which have created economic and social mayhem and colossal debts, with no apparent health benefits.”

The Source Trade Show Will Take Place In June 2021 with NEW Outside Space The Source trade show has taken place in Westpoint, Exeter annually for more than 10 years, and will be one of the first trade shows for food and drink in 2021, when it takes place on the 8th– 9th June. Attracting buyers from retail, hospitality and catering, it showcases the best the South West region has to offer, from artisan food & drink to essential goods and services.

To meet government rules for numbers allowed at such events, Hale Events, the show’s organisers, are, for the first time, complementing the space in the hall with outside exhibiting space and features.

“We are delighted that government regulations will allow this trade show to happen. It will be our first for

more than a year!” says Mike Anderson, MD of Hale Events.

“In order to enable plenty of social distancing and comfort for our exhibitors and visitors we are extending this popular trade show. Catering and Show Features will be outside in 2021, alongside a brand-new outside area for exhibitors, which will extend the show and enable more people to take part, and to attend.”

Mike continues “We know that suppliers, as well as everyone involved in food retail and hospitality, are looking forward to getting back together to network and find out what is new after a year of isolation. Source can help stimulate this sector, showcase innovation and provide a platform for producers”.

Outside space at the Source trade show will be provided for companies who have their own facilities, such as trailer, gazebos, or other structures, as well as for companies who need covered space provided.

“We look forward to welcoming the Source trade show back to Westpoint in June. We will be working in collaboration with Hale Events to deliver a safe show which meets with the prevailing government guidelines.”

Richard Maunders, Westpoint CEO. For more information about the show, to book a stand, or register to attend, please call 01934 733433, follow the show on Twitter @sourcefooddrink, or visit thesourcetradeshow.co.uk.

Government Criticized For “Lack Of Transparency” On Hospitality Restrictions Issue 49

A parliamentary committee has criticised the government’s lack of transparency with the hospitality sector, and has been urged to publish data which influence its decisions to impose restrictions in the hospitality and on trade sector.

A report entitled “government transparency and accountability during Covid 19 -the data underpinning decisions “published by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee said: “The evidence the committee received was inconclusive over whether restrictions on hospitality and entertainment sectors were sensible and indeed it is not the purpose of this report to come to a judgement on that. However, building trust with these sectors is absolutely essential and the level of transparency has not been sufficient.”

The report even said it is likely that failures in data sharing have undermined the response.

Chair of the committee William Wragg said: “For the government to build public confidence, it is absolutely vital that it is open on how it reaches its decisions and the data underpinning them.

“Lessons must also be learnt on how the government shares information with local partners. Delays in sharing vital data, and a reluctance to share detailed data almost certainly hampered the local response.”

Lifting lockdown and the road to normality Ministers were unable to provide the Committee with sufficient information about the decision-making process governing the decision to lift the first lockdown and the data underpinning it. A range of factors must have been considered, including health, economic and educational outcomes, meaning that the Cabinet Office

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should have played a central role.

The framework for lockdown and tiering decisions has changed repeatedly throughout the pandemic. The report added that “while the Committee does not object to the inclusion of new factors in decision making, changes in the framework so far have not appeared to reflect new information. This has amounted to a moving of the goalposts, created uncertainty, and must stop.”

Lockdown decisions, it went on to say have been met with confusion because the data has been unclear.

Data was not initially available for local leaders to understand the tiering decisions and there were no adequate frameworks for escalation and de-escalation in place. The hospitality and entertainment sectors have not had sufficient data on the decisions relating to their businesses. Building trust with these industries is vital and the level of transparency has not been sufficient.

The committee said: • it has serious concerns about the lack of transparency and clarity in decision making. The Cabinet Office must outline in its response to this report the range of data and information it will use to lift current and future lockdowns.

• The priority must now be a clear and consistent framework for making lockdown and tiering decisions as a path back to normality is charted. The Committee welcomes the Government’s roadmap. No further changes should be made to it, such as setting new tests or boundaries.

Savoy Educational Trust Helps Futureproof Hospitality Workforce with £1m Grant to Springboard

The Savoy Educational Trust has awarded a £1m grant to The Springboard Charity in support of the charity’s Springboard to 2022 – Futureproofing the Talent Pipeline for Hospitality project.

The £1m grant is the single largest award ever made by Trustees in its 60-year history and will directly help 1,000 young people into work across the hospitality industry over the next 18 months.

Springboard’s latest project – Springboard to 2022 – aims to train and support 10,000 young people into work in hospitality by December 2022, in line with the industry’s recovery post-COVID-19.

talent through industry competitions.

Julia Sibley, Chief Executive of The Savoy Educational Trust, said: “Since its inception, the Savoy Educational Trust has played a key role in providing funds to a wide array of educational projects within the hospitality industry. The Trustees are very concerned for the industry in light of the pandemic and are really keen to be able to give financial support to an initiative that will protect the future careers of the young people who make up such a large percentage of the hospitality workforce. They are proud to support Springboard to 2022 – Futureproofing Hospitality’s talent pipeline.”

The forecasted cost to deliver the project is £5m with the Savoy Educational Trust coming on board as one of its biggest supporters.

The project will help turn around the ongoing skills shortage across the industry, which is expected to be impacted further by Brexit and the Coronavirus pandemic.

Although a significant grant, this is just one part of the ongoing commitment the Trust continues to make to the hospitality industry, with their current funding for education, associations, charities, training and recognising

Chris Gamm, chief executive of Springboard, said: “Springboard is delighted to be working with the Savoy Educational Trust as lead partner in Springboard to 2022. Young people are the future of the hospitality industry, and training and supporting 10,000 of them into jobs in hospitality will play a significant part in futureproofing the industry’s talent pipeline and addressing its long-term staffing crisis. The investment will enable Springboard to directly train and support 1,000 young people into traineeships, apprenticeships and direct employment by April 2022, as well as playing a key role in the delivery of the total target.”

Small Business Owners Gave Up £7,000 of Their Own Savings on Average to Keep Staff Employed During the Pandemic Small business owners have been tested to the limit over the past year, thanks to the pandemic putting intense pressure on cashflow and jobs.

New research from QuickBooks reveals the range of personal sacrifices small business owners have taken just to keep their businesses afloat and employees in roles, including digging deep into their own savings.

Carina Lepore, winner of The Apprentice 2019 and owner of South London bakery Dough Bakehouse, said: “I know first-hand the human impact of payroll – not being able to pay my staff could affect someone’s ability to pay their rent or mortgage. The sense of responsibility is huge.

With over half (58%) of the small businesses (1-10 employees) surveyed unable to trade at some point in the past year, small business owners spent an average of £7,000 out of their personal savings to keep their staff on payroll and their business going.

“Through lockdown we managed to pivot quickly through digital to takeaway which allowed us to stay open and trading, but like most other small businesses we were hit by the pandemic. To keep all my staff on I had to make a number of personal sacrifices, but I wanted to do this as my staff are my priority.”

The new study highlights that a third (33%) of small business owners gave up their own salaries to keep employees on during the pandemic, while nearly half (46%) gave up holidays, 41% gave up bonuses, and 30% gave up their dividends.

staff, 24% have had to freeze recruitment, and 21% have had to freeze pay for staff to stay afloat.

The personal burden on these small business owners has not just been restricted to financial sacrifice. Owners have had to take action to retain their staff, with 57% having to work extra hours or on the weekend to keep on top of changes to payroll regulations, such as the furlough scheme. Of these, 50% have spent more than eight working days in the past year1 learning about the changing regulations to be able to put them into practice.

To help navigate the changing business climate and make these difficult decisions, small business owners have turned to support networks for advice. Accountants have taken on an increasingly important role for small businesses, with a third (33%) of owners turning to their accountants for support on changing regulations and processes such as payroll.

Other leading sources of support were family members and government websites.

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, 67% of small business owners have been forced to make challenging business decisions that could never have been anticipated, in order to avoid serious cash flow issues and even business failure. Over a third (35%) have had to furlough

However, despite all the challenges of the past year, small business owners are feeling more optimistic with half (50%) saying they now feel more positive about the year ahead than they did at the start of the pandemic restrictions in March 2020.

Pauline Green, Head of Product Compliance at QuickBooks, said: “Payroll took on a new emotional significance in 2020 as small business owners were forced to weigh up challenging decisions such as putting staff on furlough or making pay cuts, and the resulting impact on employees and their families. Despite facing intense pressure for a long time, small business owners showed remarkable resilience and determination to keep their businesses going and their employees in jobs, with huge numbers making unforgettable personal sacrifices.

“Our recent data found that two thirds of small businesses now plan to keep all of their furloughed staff and one in three are even planning on expanding their workforce in 2021. It is brilliant to see small business owners’ commitment to keeping their company going and staff on their payroll now starting to pay off, as we look forward to the end of lockdown.”

Can an Employer Require an Employee to Take a COVID-19 Vaccination?

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Issue 49

By Alec Colson, Partner and Head of Employment Law at Luton-headquartered law firm Taylor Walton (www.taylorwalton.com)

When it comes to compulsory vaccines, there is currently no legal provision that permits an employer to make it a requirement.

However, with momentum building around businesses making the COVID-19 vaccine a condition of employment, it is important that the legal position is given careful consideration to avoid a breach of strict rules and guidelines.

The issue of compulsory vaccines is a lot more difficult to navigate than meets the eye, and it is up to businesses in the hospitality sector to tread carefully before implementing any pandemic policies that cover the matter.

THE LEGAL POSITION Under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA 1974) an employer must take all reasonably practicable steps to reduce workplace risks to their lowest practicable level. Additionally, under section 7 of the HSWA 1974, an employee has a duty to cooperate as necessary with the employer to enable it to comply with any statutory requirements including reducing workplace risks.

Moreover, employees will want to be reassured that they are working in a safe environment. However, this is unlikely to extend to employees being legally required to take the vaccine in all business sectors and we will have to wait for further guidance from the Government on what measures an employer may be required to take.

Determining ‘reasonableness’ is likely to depend on the business sector and the services provided. For example, it may be more important for those working in the hospitality sector to take the vaccine, as they are serving and interacting with customers in close proximity, especially in a bar or restaurant setting. Therefore, in this situation the COVID vaccination could be a necessary measure to prevent the spread of infection.

In such circumstances, dismissal could possibly fall within the range of reasonable responses for the employer, either on the grounds of conduct or some other substantial reason.

The position in other sectors is likely to be less clear and in any event, an employer should proceed with caution before deciding to dismiss. Employers will need to consider other available alternatives which may include moving the employee to another role involving less contact with clients or other employees.

In all sectors, the employer will also need to consider carefully the circumstances of the individual employee.

The risks include discrimination on the grounds of religion and belief, disability, pregnancy and breaking data protection legislation as well as unfair dismissal if the employee has unfair dismissal rights.

DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION If an employee has been advised by their doctor not to take the vaccine on medical grounds an employer’s requirement to take the vaccine may amount to disability discrimination. Even if the employee is not disabled, a Tribunal may find that the request to the employee to go against medical advice is an unreasonable request in any event.

An employee’s fear of needles (trypanophobia) may also amount to a disability and therefore the employer would need to consider whether it could provide alternative working arrangements for example, working from home on a permanent basis.

PREGNANCY AND MATERNITY DISCRIMINATION Public Health England advice states that “women should be advised not to attend for vaccination if they are, or may be, pregnant, or are planning a pregnancy within three months of the first dose. Vaccinated women who are not pregnant should be advised to avoid becoming pregnant for two months after the second dose of vaccine”.

Therefore, a requirement to take the vaccine as a condition of employment for a pregnant employee, or an employee planning a pregnancy, is likely to amount to sex discrimination, pregnancy/maternity discrimination.

FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH LATEST GUIDANCE Whilst it may seem that making the vaccine a requirement is a necessary measure to protect workers and customers, in reality, the legal position is a lot more complex and raises numerous legal issues which will need to take into account before policies can be introduced.

As the vaccine rolls out across the age groups, employers will need to keep abreast of the Government public health guidance in relation to the pandemic and start to develop their own COVID-19 pandemic policies to take into account the implications of the vaccine in the workplace. Whilst the arrival of the vaccine is a huge relief for everyone, the vaccine should be seen as the next chapter in the pandemic story and sadly not the end.

Tough Times Ahead’ For Licensed Hospitality Sector, Warns SLTA The SLTA (Scottish Licensed Trade Association) has expressed bitter disappointment after the announcement by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that bars, restaurants and cafés will not be able to serve alcohol indoors when the licensed hospitality industry reopens next month.

Warning that there remain “tough times ahead” for licensed hospitality as Scotland slowly emerges from lockdown, SLTA managing director Colin Wilkinson said: “This is not the news we were hoping for. Yes, it’s good news for those bars, restaurants and cafés with suitable facilities who will be able to serve people outdoors – in groups of up to six from three households – until 10pm from 26 April.

“However, for indoor hospitality, today’s news is yet another bitter blow and we are surprised that the Scottish Government has chosen not to allow premises to sell alcohol when they reopen next month. “We of course welcome the news that from 17 May, hospitality venues will be able to open until 10.30pm indoors with alcohol permitted and, for outdoors, until 10pm.

“We welcome these indicative dates for reopening as they provide more clarity for businesses but overall, these slight lifting of restrictions don’t go far enough and, for the majority, reopening will remain unviable.

We’re bitterly disappointed.”

The SLTA welcomed confirmation that on 22 March, recipients of support under the Strategic Business Framework Fund will receive a final four-week payment then in April a further combined payment of a twoweek payment under the Strategic Business Framework Fund, and eligible hospitality and leisure businesses will also receive a further payment of up to £19,500 in the form of a restart grant.

But Mr Wilkinson said: “Restrictions will continue into June and beyond, leading businesses further into debt. The typical small hospitality business has taken on between £60,000 and £90,000 in bank debt and deferred bills as of February this year just to survive Covid – and the debt is rising with every week of low or no income.”

He added: “If there is a positive to come out of today’s announcement it is that we have something to work towards but that doesn’t change the fact that for a very high percentage of business, reopening in April will simply be unviable.”

Chef Philli Cooks with The Sausage Man and Lamb Weston The Sausage Man teams up with Lamb Weston to inspire operators with innovative, celebratory dishes for the coming summer months. Chef Philli Armitage-Mattin, Master Chef the Professionals 2020 Finalist, Chef Philli Armitage-Mattin joins the two companies to help kick-off the collaboration in style!

Joy is in the air as people across the land anticipate letting loose and whooping it up after lockdown is lifted. So, there’s no better time to share our exciting news – we at The Sausage Man are excited to announce our exciting new partnership with Lamb Weston! Their high quality range of British potato products compliment our authentic German range perfectly.

Street Food, outdoor eating, delivery and fusion cuisine will all play a big role for operators reopening in 2021 so how can pubs, restaurants and food truck owners surprise their guests easily with tantalising new recipes?

The Sausage Man and Lamb Weston have the solution – and who better than Chef Philli to cook up some of the yummiest, most irresistible and instagrammable recipes to celebrate the partnership.

Think German food fused with exciting flavours. One typically traditional German dish is currywurst and fries, packed full of spice. So why not go crazy for Chef Philli’s katsu curry with crispy panko bread-crumbed Bratwurst from The Sausage Man, and togarashi fries using Lamb Weston Hot2Home or Stealth fries?

“How can you improve upon sausage and mash or a hot dog with fries? Chef Philli has dreamed up some super creative, highly flavoursome recipes for us such as Korean Kogo – sausage and fries on a stick – that is so Instagramable consumers and operators will love it!” said Andrea Deutschmanek, Lamb Weston’s International Marketing Lead, Northern Europe. “We gave her the freedom to create these dishes and she stunned us with strong and bold flavours that will wow!”

“Being a chef is about being passionate and creative. It’s about being an artist. We use simple foods and turn them into beautiful creations. Just like Lamb Weston’s products, The Sausage Man’s products are perfect for this!” says Chef Philli.

“When designing dishes today we have access to a larder of worldwide ingredients. This gives you the ultimate creativity. Along with that, it’s important to make dishes colourful and Instagramable. People want their food be beautiful on the plate. The camera eats first.

“I’ve created some simple sausage-based dishes with Lamb Weston and The Sausage Man, fused with flavours from around the world, that both look and taste fantastic. I hope keen cooks will take these ideas and build on them.

“My passion is creating delicious dishes that you crave and simplifying them so that the recipes are easy to make for everyone. I love Asian cuisine, and have really enjoyed experimenting to find the best ways to fuse Asian flavours with these traditional German favourites.”

Joshua Grocott, Marketing Director for The Sausage Man, said: “Chef Philli delivered some extraordinary dishes, completely reimagining ‘sausage and chips’ as a concept. Using the quintessentially British chips of Lamb Weston and our authentic German sausages as a starting point, Chef Philli tied in complimentary flavours from around the world to develop tasty plates that please the eye as well as the taste buds. This menu is easy to recreate, especially with Chef Philli’s step-by-step videos, and every recipe looks and tastes fantastic!”

Check out the first episode of “Cooking with Chef Philli” on the website at www.sausageman.co.uk/chefphilli-korean-kogo

Safety of Customers and Staff a Priority for Hospitality Sector UKHospitality has welcomed the Government’s commitment of additional funding to provide safer public spaces for women. The trade body has also reiterated its, and the sector’s, commitment to ensuring that the safety of customers and staff is rigorously upheld.

UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “We welcome the fact that this issue is being addressed by the Government and that funding will be forthcoming to ensure that spaces are made safer for women.

“It should be highlighted that the hospitality sector already works incredibly hard on this issue. We have numerous partnership schemes in place to ensure the safety of customers on a night out. Schemes like Best Bar None, Pub Watch, Drinkaware and Ask for Angela have been adopted by the sector to ensure that safety is central to the running of businesses.

UKHospitality is a signatory to the Women’s Night Safety Charter and we engage regularly with the Mayor of London’s Office to make sure that nights out are fun and safe. The welfare of our customers and our staff is a priority.

The organisation has come a long way from its roots, founded by four passionate young men from the North-West in 1971.

Today, CAMRA campaigns for real ale, pubs and consumer rights across the country.

Nik Antona, CAMRA National Chairman, said: “This is a milestone year for CAMRA, marking a half-century of campaigning for pubs, pints and people. We will be marking the achievement, celebrating those campaigners who have given their all to CAMRA’s aims, and looking toward the future.

“Our 50th anniversary comes on the heels of perhaps the most difficult year on record for the pub and beer industry, after months of lockdowns and unfair restrictions. While acknowledging our birthday celebrations, we must reaffirm our commitment to fighting for pubs and consumers now and in the future, to ensure there are good pubs serving good beer in every community for the next 50 years.”

CAMRA will be marking their 50th anniversary throughout 2021, with a selection of content available from today, such as: • A social media #CheersToCAMRA – members, volunteers and industry figures can share their memories of CAMRA on social media using the ‘Cheers to CAMRA’ hashtag • A 50th anniversary book 50 Years of CAMRA – written by beer writer Laura Hadland, containing firsthand accounts from members and industry

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“In recent years, our businesses have invested considerable sums of money in their security and surveillance to ensure that venues our safe. This must be matched by resources on the streets from local police and other civic bodies.

“That does not mean we can relax our efforts. We must continue to work hard to provide safe environments and we will regularly review our practices to see how we can be even more effective. We will be in contact with Thames Valley Police to learn from their experiences from Project Vigilant and share best practice throughout the industry, and to share our own expertise. It is critical that all stakeholders are involved in making our streets safe for everyone.”

For more information on hospitality partnership schemes please visit https://bbnuk.com/ https://www.nationalpubwatch.org.uk/ https://www.goodnightoutcampaign.org/ https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/ https://www.met.police.uk/AskforAngela

CAMRA Celebrates 50 Years of Campaigning with #Cheerstocamra

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is marking its 50th anniversary tomorrow – 16 March 2021 – with a host of content, activities and merchandise to be released throughout its commemorative year.

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professionals, detailing the highs and lows of one of the world’s most successful consumer organisations. Laura will also be hosting a virtual book launch event tomorrow evening, 16 March 2021 at 7pm, joined live by contributors, beer writers and one of CAMRA’s founders to discuss her research and answer questions. The event is open to anyone, and registration is now available here: https://camra-orguk.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMvdeGppz8qGt1j5WkV I_6xUrC6G5LGgiUZ • 50 campaigning milestones – 50 of CAMRA’s campaigning milestones will be shared over the coming months, with behind the scenes insight from the campaigners leading the charge at the time. The first batch of 10 is available on request • The Golden Awards – our 50th anniversary Golden Awards aim to recognise 50 people, groups of people or businesses that have made a significant contribution to CAMRA’s aims. This is aimed at campaigning heroes, the pub/club all-stars, beer saviours/custodians and stalwarts. Nominations close today, and winners will be announced throughout the year • Celebratory Beer Boxes – marking the anniversary, curated boxes of beer will be available for purchase, featuring a selection of the best brews the country has to offer and chosen by some of the UK’s leading beer experts. 11 beers will be included, as well as a limited edition 50th anniversary tasting glass. Available for pre-order from 31 March There will also be commemorative merchandise, such as clothing and badges, available from the CAMRA shop, and other content available throughout the year.

Learn more on our 50th Anniversary page: https://camra.org.uk/50-years/

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First Lockdown Anniversary Will Underline the Resilience of the UK Hotels Sector 12

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The anniversary of the first national lockdown will be a poignant time for UK hotels but will also underline the resilience of the sector, according to a leading agency specialist.

Julian Troup, head of the UK Hotels Agency team at global property services company Colliers (www.colliers.com/en-gb), said that while the past year had understandably been challenging for hotels as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic it had also shown that the sector is ‘robust and resilient’.

“The anniversary of the first national lockdown on 23 March 2020 will be a poignant time for everyone connected to the hotels sector, as we reflect upon the absolute uncertainty suffered by owners and operators and their staff,” he said.

“However, as we move on from the unprecedented difficulties of the pandemic there are pluses to be drawn from the proactive way in which the sector has responded to the challenges of the past year.

year, as people who have been cooped up in home offices decide to have a change of scene by taking occasional two to three night breaks, subject to any government restrictions.

“However, while coast and country staycation hotels will be moving on quickly from the challenges of last year, it is likely to be a longer path back to normality for those hotels in towns and cities, or mainly serving airport travellers, conferences and events.”

Hotel sales would also inevitably accelerate as the sector returned to greater normality and confidence improved, added Julian Troup.

“Transactional activity is definitely building, and we have already seen a substantial uplift in enquiries and viewings this year, the volume of formal viewings is up 44% for the first two weeks of March, compared with the same period of the previous month” he said.

“During 2020 many vendors sat on their hands believing they wouldn’t get their required price which resulted in a lack of quality stock coming to the market, and meanwhile many buyers were also sitting waiting for the storm clouds to arrive.

“Now things are starting to shift. Although in high value staycation areas there are still some sellers holding out for a higher price, we have been seeing more sellers being realistic and being prepared to consider offers.

For some this is because of dwindling cash reserves, while others are motivated by personal circumstances.

“In particular, it has become apparent that the UK hotels sector is a robust and resilient business, and as we look ahead to the next twelve months and beyond it is clear that the outlook is positive particularly for leisure and destination hotels, and certainly far better than many of us would have dared to predict this time last year.”

“At Colliers we have had an increasing flow of opportunistic buyers contacting us, many from overseas, with strongest interest being expressed in hotels in staycation locations. It is very clear that there are still numerous well-heeled cash buyers out there, as well as prospective purchasers with support from their banks.

Julian Troup said that judging by the experience of the Colliers UK Hotels Agency team, which is the largest provincial hotels agency team in the country, guests were set to return in force to hotels and transactional activity would increase correspondingly.

“In addition to those seeking to buy hotels to run them for that purpose, we have observed an increase in alternative use enquiries for lower profit hotels that could receive planning consent for change of use. Our experience of alternative use sales at Colliers during 2020 included residential, educational, self-catering, nursing and care homes, retirement development, and rehabilitation.

“It is not a case of if but rather when we will return towards pre-COVID levels, both in terms of guest occupancy and hotel sales,” he said.

“Hoteliers should brace themselves for a staycation surge, not only for this summer but for the year ahead and beyond. There is a huge opportunity for UK hoteliers to attract people who would previously have chosen to travel abroad for holidays and weekend breaks, but are now looking closer to home because of the restrictions, complications and expense involved in foreign travel.

“We will be seeing the rise of the UK mini-break during the second half of this year and the first half of next

“Hotels have proven themselves as being robust and resilient, and able to quickly return to trading normality.

We have seen in the past the likes of SARS, terrorist attacks and foot and mouth disease impacting on hotel trade, however once levels of uncertainty have subsided trade soon returned. We are social animals and people will return to hotels.

“In an attempt to remove that uncertainty, hoteliers have also adapted to COVID secure protocols and many have implemented new business plans to put themselves in the best position of optimising trade post the current lockdown.”

Stonegate Group Donated Laptops for Home Schooling Almost a year after the first national lockdown and with schools having been closed due to the pandemic, Stonegate Group has been donating dozens of laptops to its team members, who have been home schooling children, that do not have access to a computer.

help our team members who, through no fault of their own, have been forced into home schooling and may not have had the right equipment to do so. This current lockdown has impacted us all in different ways, this is just one small gesture that will hopefully help a few members of the Stonegate Family.”

Recognising the challenges of home schooling, and in particular children needing devices to access remote learning, Stonegate Group has supported many employees and their families by sending out dozens of laptops. Each laptop was overhauled to meet school requirements and delivered to employees’ homes.

These laptop donations follow Stonegate Group’s donation of all its surplus nonalcoholic products in venues across its managed estate to local charities. Charities were selected by each pub’s General Manager, and crisps, snacks, nuts, juices and soft drinks, dated up to March 2021 were all donated, as well as any fresh fruit and vegetables the pubs had in stock.

Simon Longbottom, Chief Executive of Stonegate Group, said “We wanted to

Prepare for Recovery by Offering Outstanding Customer Service with Online Drinks Courses Now Available from School of Booze As hospitality operators prepare for business recovery despite an uncertain reopening schedule, Jane Peyton, founder of School of Booze, has launched an online drinks education platform offering training courses in Beer, Cider, and Wine.

The courses are an opportunity for team members to develop their drinks knowledge to provide the best possible customer service and memorable experience once hospitality is open for business again.

There are three levels of learning - Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced - offering essential starter knowledge for anyone who works in the drinks industry and wants to know more about what they are selling or to expand their knowledge to improve their career prospects.

Commenting on the launch, Jane Peyton said “All staff should know what they are selling and be able to engage, communicate and enthuse customers about their drinks offer. Educated staff are more motivated and good for business, as they bring a higher likelihood of encouraging incremental spend. They perform more effectively and have more confidence in upselling, giving customers a better experience and more confidence in the service provided. They feel more valued, are happier, enjoy their work more, stay in the job for longer and therefore bring greater stability and a clear career pathway to a business.

“With so many talented hospitality staff currently on furlough, this is the ideal time for them to study a relevant subject to add to their CV and ensure that their expertise can contribute to the sector’s recovery.”

The convenient courses are concise with easy-to-learn content in audio and written formats. They are aimed at people who work in the on-trade and offtrade, brand owners, drinks producers, PR and Marketing or associated suppliers, and anyone who is keen to learn more about the industry they work in.

The courses are accessed through School of Booze’s learning portal via mobile devices or computer, allowing study to be completed whenever and wherever is convenient, removing the need to travel and sit in a classroom. When students feel ready, they take an online multiple-choice examination and receive a digital certificate when they pass. In other words, the School of Booze courses are ‘On Your Device, In Your Place, At Your Pace’.

The courses have been developed in response to the growing number of hospitality staff who want to become better informed about beer, cider and wine, as businesses seek to use every advantage through the preparation of pandemic recovery plans. They draw on Jane’s experience as a drinks expert, having run tasting, training and education, and consultancy events. Jane is a Beer Sommelier, was Britain’s first accredited Cider Pommelier, is accredited through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, and has also written extensively about drinks and the hospitality industry.

Individual online learning courses from School of Booze are priced at £50 inc VAT, with discounts available for subscribing to multiple programmes. “With three levels of study available” continued Jane “the courses offer an informative and engaging way to learn for beginners, intermediates and advanced students and are aimed at further improving service standards within the UK hospitality sector.”

The online courses are available through the School of Booze website. Single subject education materials such as the principles of Beer & Food Matching will be available next month. www.school-of-booze.com

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The Prince of Wales Delivers a Message of Support and Admiration to the Hospitality Industry at Master Innholders Event The Prince of Wales, has shared his support, admiration and enthusiasm for the hospitality industry and all of those who work within it during the Master Innholders’ ‘Hoteliers – Battered But Not Beaten’ event.

within the hospitality world, it is impossible not to be impressed with their creativity, their passion and their inspirational, entrepreneurial skills.

I have no doubt that your discussions today– albeit in virtual form – will help to inspire new ideas and fresh hope, and will ignite a renewed commitment to success amongst you all. The last twelve months may well have battered us all, but this time will pass, and when it does, we know exactly to whom we should turn to help us celebrate! The point is that we need you all – so I can only send my warmest possible greetings to each and every one of you.”

The special message from His Royal Highness aired at 3pm on Thursday 18 March and opened the first of the organisation’s new education and development sessions, which featured an insightful discussion on the future of hospitality careers with Secretary of State for Education, The Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP and Kate Nicholls OBE.

Chairman of the Master Innholders, David Morgan-Hewitt FIH MI, said: “We were thrilled to have The Prince of Wales open the first event in our brand-new educational programme, ‘Hoteliers - Battered But Not Beaten’ with such an inspiring message.

Speaking during the video, The Prince of Wales said: “The British hospitality industry is one of this country’s greatest success stories, and one which, I fear, we may have taken somewhat for granted.

“As often seems to happen, it is when something we treasure is endangered that we appreciate it most. As I am sure you will agree, any deprivation does rather sharpen the appetite!

“This is why I believe that, over the past months of the pandemic, we have all come to appreciate the invaluable service provided by your profession – whether it is hosting celebrations, family meals or gatherings of friends, or welcoming in the weary traveller or the wide-eyed tourist, the job you all do is essential to the enjoyment of life. Across the country, from Caithness to Cornwall and, of course, in London, hotels, restaurants and pubs are at the heart of our communities.

“However, it is not merely by nourishing the body and the spirit that you contribute to our collective wellbeing. The hospitality sector makes an immense contribution to the wealth and welfare of our economy – it is the country’s third-largest employer, providing work for 3.2 million people directly and a further 2.8 million indirectly. That is 9% of the United Kingdom’s jobs. Hospitality contributes over £39 billion in direct

gross taxes and accounts for over £24 billion in the expenditure by tourists. Your industry also provides the setting and the sustenance for business activities in other sectors of the economy too, making this country such a desirable place to live and to do business, thereby benefitting us all.

“The last 12 months have been catastrophic for our industry and while we have all been battered by the physical and mental challenges of the pandemic, I truly believe that the drive, passion and resilience of the hospitality professionals working across the UK will see our industry come back stronger than ever.”

“As you gather today, you all face much greater challenges than you have probably ever faced before. The continuing restrictions to control the virus pandemic have, I know, hit the hospitality sector harder than most and you can have no idea how much I feel for all under such impossible circumstances. I can only marvel at your resourcefulness and your resilience, which is summed up in the title of this webinar – “Battered but not Beaten”.

Open to all hotel professionals, regardless of location, role, experience or property size, the Master Innholders’ ‘Hoteliers’ – Battered But Not Beaten’ programme will see inspiring speakers and industry-leading specialists host free forward-thinking sessions and interviews discussing the future of hospitality and must-know topics.

“I would expect nothing less from your dedicated and open-hearted profession. Knowing many of the incredible characters and personalities

To watch The Prince of Wales’ video message in full, visit https://youtu.be/vUIEiF-_8W0 To find out more about the Master Innholders and its upcoming events, please visit https://masterinnholders.co.uk/

Undercover Police To Be Deployed In Clubs and Bars To Keep Women Safe

Proposals are under consideration for plain clothes police officers to be deployed in bars and nightclubs around the country as part of plans to protect women from “predatory” offenders.

Following a meeting of the Government’s Crime and Justice Taskforce chaired by the Prime Minister, the government has said it was taking a series of “immediate steps” to improve security and safety, which may include plain clothes police officers deployed to identify predatory and suspicious offenders by attending areas around clubs and bars to “help women feel safer in the night-time economy as we build back from the pandemic”.

Pilots of ‘Project Vigilant’ are expected to be rolled out across the country will also see increased patrols as people leave venues at closing time.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “The horrific case of Sarah Everard has unleashed a wave of feeling about women not feeling safe at night. We must do everything we can to ensure our streets are safe, and we are bringing in landmark legislation to toughen sentences and put more police on the streets.

“We are also now taking further steps to provide greater reassurance, such as providing better lighting

and greater use of CCTV in parks and routes women may take on their walks home. Ultimately, we must drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to better protect and defend them.”

Other measures unveiled by the government include a doubling of the Safer Streets fund – which provides neighbourhood measures such as better lighting and CCTV – to £45 million.

It also said ministers were committed to working with police forces and with police and crime commissioners to ensure the measures were more focused on preventing sexual violence.

Policing minister Kit Malthouse will also hold a summit in the coming weeks with police and industry representatives from the night-time economy on preparations to protect women as pandemic restrictions lift.

The announcements were made against the backdrop of demonstrations taking to the streets of central London to protest against the police treatment of women who attended a vigil for Sarah Everard on Saturday evening.

New Hospitality at Home Tracker Reveals Quadrupling of Delivery and Takeaway Sales Sales of deliveries and takeaways from the UK’s leading hospitality groups have quadrupled over the last 12 months, an exclusive new Tracker service from CGA reveals.

The Hospitality at Home Tracker indicates that the combined value of delivery and takeaway in February 2021 was 317% more than in the same month in 2020. The volume of orders has increased by 115%, well over double of the total in February 2020. With the value of sales growing significantly faster than volume, it demonstrates a big uplift in average spend.

CGA’s Tracker is an important new source of data and insight for the sector, providing monthly reports on the value and volume of sales with year-on-year comparisons. It will also set out splits between delivery and takeaway sales, and between food and drink revenue.

Once the current lockdown is lifted, the Tracker will reveal the balance between eat-in, delivery and takeaway sales. It complements CGA’s

Coffer Peach Business Tracker, which has monitored total sales across more than 10,000 sites of leading restaurant and pub groups since 2009.

For operators, the Hospitality at Home Tracker creates a valuable benchmarking tool to monitor the success of at-home offers against the market, and participants receive additional, in-depth data in return for their contributions. More than 20 of the UK’s best known managed restaurant, pub and bar groups have become founding partners on the Tracker (see below). Any businesses with an interest in joining the cohort are invited to contact CGA now.

Karl Chessell, CGA’s business unit director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA, said: “Deliveries, takeaways and at-home meal kits have been a lifeline for hospitality in an immensely challenging market, and our new Hospitality at Home Tracker will provide the best insights yet into their sales.

Delivery and takeaway was already a fast-growing trend before 2020,

but we are seeing more and more consumers embracing it and the movement is very likely to continue, albeit without the ferocity of the past 12 months.”

“The Tracker will offer crucial analysis of consumers’ spending patterns and help businesses spot new opportunities, areas for improvement and action points. We’re grateful to the partners who have helped to establish the Tracker, and warmly welcome anyone who would like to join them.”

CGA’s partners on the Hospitality at Home Tracker are: Azzurri Group, BrewDog, Burger King UK, Byron, Drake & Morgan, Gaucho Grill, Giggling Squid, Honest Burgers, Nando’s, Peach Pub Company, Pizza Express, Pizza Hut UK, Prezzo, Rosa’s Thai, TGI Fridays UK, The Restaurant Group, Tortilla, Upham Pub Company, Wagamama and YO! Sushi.

Anyone interested in joining the Tracker should contact Karen Bantoft at karen.bantoft@cga.co.uk.

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Outdoor Accommodation Offers Lifeline To Struggling Village Pubs Caravan and campsites could offer a lifeline to rural pubs pushed to the brink of closure by COVID-19.

There are a number of different options for landlords wanting to establish a caravan or campsite at their pub. These include:

Figures released by Pitchup.com – Europe’s largest outdoor accommodation provider – show that pubs providing even basic outdoor accommodation can earn tens of thousands more each year than those that do not, with little investment or additional workload.

• A temporary, pop-up campsite which can be operated for 56 days per year in England for tents without planning permission. Of the 56 days, 28 can be ‘within the curtilage of a building (except listed buildings) meaning even beer gardens next to the pub could be used.

• Sign up with an exempt organisation, which will allow you to run a campsite or caravan site, potentially all year round.

• Apply for full planning permission to operate a camping and caravan site all year round.

Pitchup.com collated figures from more than 190 pubs from across the UK with caravan or campsite and found they made on average around £6,000 more per year than those that didn’t offer accommodation.

The news comes after a survey by the Countryside Alliance revealed six in 10 rural pub landlords believe they will go out of business if lockdown restrictions are not sufficiently lifted by the summer.

But with caravan and campsites quickly and easily set up, many rural pubs are in a fantastic position to capitalise on the boom in staycations and secure their future.

Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com, said with rural pubs under such threat, now is the time landlords need to find new revenue streams.

He said: “The loss of rural pubs strikes at the very heart of the countryside. It is a tragedy for communities as the pub is so often a social hub for local people, and it impacts on other businesses, particularly tourism businesses, as if there is no pub, people are less likely to visit.

“But there are many pubs out there with a spare pocket of land which is under-utilised and can quickly start to generate revenue.

“Even a small temporary campsite can make a real difference to the bottom line of a rural pub.”

However, others made far more than this, with one pub in Somerset raking in more than £65,000 over a 12 month period and others across the south and midlands taking in excess of £40,000.

Dan added that camping and caravan sites offer a natural extension to pubs as essential facilities are already in place.

“Pubs benefit from having toilets, water and electricity available, so setting up a campsite often requires no investment at all,” he said.

“Because of this, it is probably the easiest and quickest way to secure the future of the precious village pub.”

One pub that has benefited from a campsite is The Red Lion in Brinkley, Cambridgeshire, which is situated around 15 minutes from Newmarket.

The 450-year-old grade II listed pub, known for its home-cooked food, has a back-to-basics campsite which caters for visitors from near and far.

Owners Morris and Gwyn Fenton said the campsite has a significant impact on the takings of the pub.

Northern Ireland Extends Business Rates Holiday Finance minister Conor Murphy has announced that the business rates holiday in Northern Ireland will be extended for a further 12 months for businesses including hospitality, tourism and leisure businesses. In total 29,000 businesses will benefit from the rates holiday.

Mr Murphy said: “This £230 million package will provide continued support for businesses dealing with the impacts of the pandemic. Recognising that the months ahead will continue to be hugely challenging, extending the 12 months rates holiday in the hardest hit sectors will protect jobs.

“This package goes well beyond what has been announced in England and demonstrates the Executive’s commitment to providing certainty and support for businesses.

“We've found 50%+ of campers spend around £100 in our bar/restaurant and for a small country pub that's significant,” said Morris.

“So, although last year and this have been a challenge, we’re hoping that when we’re able to open up, many more people will choose to holiday in the UK and we’ll benefit from that.

“We're planning to just reinvest everything we make from camping for the next few years since it's spare money really.

“It's been a great thing to try, and an incredibly enjoyable thing to do for us, personally.

“We really enjoyed meeting the people that we have stay with us.

Everyone that has booked with us through Pitchup says that’s who they use to find somewhere to go.”

Interested landlords can find out more at https://www.pitchup.com/how-start-campsite-caravan-park/ and https://www.pitchup.com/join/ or phone 0203 743 9975.

“Today’s announcement means the additional rates support provided to businesses over two years amounts to more than half a billion pounds.

“To further support businesses, the Executive has also chosen to freeze the regional rate for businesses for the second year in a row.”

Colin Neill, chief executive of pub trade body Hospitality Ulster, said: “This is really welcome news at a time when businesses in the hospitality sector are dead on their feet.

“They have either been closed or required to operate under the most severe restrictions of any business sector for nearly a year.”

But he said businesses needed more information about how and when they can reopen safely so they can benefit from the rates holiday while trading. Belfast Chamber chief executive Simon Hamilton said: “As we look towards reopening our economy, this is a recognition by the Executive that the road to recovery will be a long and hard one for many customer facing businesses and the removal of this substantial cost will be of huge assistance.”

International Salon Culinaire Announces Winners of Plant-Based Dish Challenge “It also protects councils’ rate income as the Executive will cover the full cost of the rates holiday.

Culinary Arts team, had won the prestigious Gold Award.

Chef St Claire-Jones’ winning dish was a tortelloni of vegan feta and wild woodland mushroom with warm sweetcorn panna cotta, hazelnut pesto crumb, mushroom-infused puy lentils, mushroom broth and chive oil.

Watch the video entry for the winning dish at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxk0E1y7GsE Salon Director Steve Munkley commented: “Chefs have been locked out of their commercial kitchens for many months, but that hasn’t stopped them creating some great dishes out of their homes. Our sponsors have risen to the occasion and arranged to have produce delivered for practising and dish development. With all these changes the judging of the competition had to evolve and the Salon Culinaire judges have stepped up to the mark.”

International Salon Culinaire, the historic chef competition hosted at Hotel, Restaurant & Catering, has unveiled the first set of winners in its series of virtual chef challenges taking place in 2021.

The Custom Culinary Plant Forward Challenge, in partnership with Compass Group UK & Ireland, saw chefs around the UK and internationally create a main course dish where plant-based produce was central to the plate and which incorporated the Custom Culinary® Mushroom and/or Vegetable Paste in the dish.

The entrants were required to submit a recipe, a brief description and a photo of the dish, plus a short video showing their creation and detailing their reasons for entering it into the competition.

At the virtual award ceremony on 17 March, Salon Director Steve Munkley unveiled the dishes which achieved Merit, Bronze and Silver Awards, before revealing that James St Claire Jones, Executive Head Chef at Hoarcross Hall Hotel and Spa and member of the British Army

Gold Award winner James St Claire-Jones said: “We’ve kept working through lockdown with menu development, and this competition has really given us a chance to play and get involved with something outside the business. It’s been fantastic.”

The award winners were as follows.

Merit: • • • •

Ethan Sayce, Plant Based Dreams Avraam Dimitrios Avramidis, Home Kitchen Ayesha Khan, Star Quality Catering Craig Miles, Bidfood Bronze:

• • • •

Patricia Winters, The Queen’s Head Miguel Soares, The Tower Hotel Varun Khanna, Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management Chris Bugher, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Silver:

• Tristan Merrick, Royal Marines HM Forces • Christopher Avey, River Green Trading Ltd. Gold:

• James St Claire-Jones, Hoarcross Hall Hotel & Spa and the British Army Culinary Arts team Project Director Andrew Pantelli commented: “We’ve been thrilled by the level of engagement with our first virtual challenge. The competitors were required to think outside the box with their approach to these awards and have really demonstrated their ingenuity and creativity.”

“Huge congratulations to James and all those recognised today, and many thanks to our esteemed judges, headline sponsor Compass Group UK & Ireland and competition sponsor Custom Culinary.”

The judging panel for The Custom Culinary Plant Forward Challenge featured: • Graham Crump, British Culinary Federation • Hayden Groves, Hayden Groves Consultancy • Steve Groves, Roux at Parliament Square • Richard Hunt, Wentworth Club • Michael Kitts, Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management • Dennis Mwakulua, Lexington Catering • Ben Purton, Off to Work • Miranda Quantrill, Westminster Kingsway College • Paul Rowlands, Custom Culinary • Mat Shropshall, University College Birmingham • Ian Simpson, Osteria Odette in Nizza Monferrato, Italy The deadline for the next competition – the Alsop & Walker Cheese Starter challenge – is 31 March and will see competitors produce a cheese-based starter using one of four award-winning British cheeses supplied by artisan cheesemakers Alsop & Walker.

Find out more on the International Salon Culinaire website at https://internationalsalonculinaire.co.uk/salon-virtual/

Brrit British B itish free itish fr f id egg id range liliqui liquid

Range Farm Liquid Egg products are produced from fresh free range, British eggs. Available as Whole Egg, Egg Whites and Yolk supplied in pallecons, BIB and cartons. To start cooking with ease, call 01249 732221 or email Adrian.Blyth@stonegate.co.uk

16

CLH Digital

Issue 49

Making Risk Assessment Preparations Ahead of Reopening

By Lionel Stride (with assistance from Philip Matthews), barrister at Temple Garden Chambers (https://tgchambers.com) risk assessment can in itself be a criminal offence. In terms of what an employer must cover in a risk assessment, this is set out in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999: -

The hospitality industry has undoubtedly been hit hard by the Covid19 pandemic, and it was dealt a further significant blow when much of England re-entered Tier 3 restrictions in December last year.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel; restaurants may be allowed to serve customers sitting outdoors by 17 May, and by 12 April they may be able to do so indoors. However, for many businesses, this spring re-opening will seem like a long way off yet (and there is no guarantee the earliest dates on the Government’s ‘road map’ will be determinative). In light of this situation, what can businesses in the hospitality sector do to mitigate the financial losses they are facing while also managing health and safety in the workplace so as to avoid civil (and indeed criminal) liability?

Upon assessing whether the precautions carried out by an employer were adequate, one of the first things a court will look at is whether the employer carried out a suitable risk assessment; failure to undertake a

• Firstly, you must identify what could cause injury or illness within your business. For example, the transmission of Covid-19 between employees where there has been exposure within or outside the workplace.

• Secondly, employers should establish the likelihood of an employee being harmed and how serious the risk is. So, in relation to Covid-19, this means being aware of employees’ individual risk profiles as well as keeping up to date with the area’s R rate of transmission.

• And thirdly, controlling the risk or eliminating the hazard. Employers should be putting measures in place to allow for physical distancing or separating sections off with screens; providing appropriate safety equipment for workers; and limiting the number of employees in the workplace.

The case of Bass v Ministry of Defence (2020), a pre-Coronavirus authority, demonstrates how employers can protect themselves from civil and criminal liability – in the context of potential transmission of disease – by reinforcing the importance of carrying out diligent risk assessments and implementing them effectively. The court held that the Ministry of Defence hadn’t breached its duty of care when a soldier contracted Q fever whilst deployed in Afghanistan, specifically because an appropriate risk assessment had been carried out and the Ministry’s response to the risk assessed had been reasonable in the circumstances.

The Court did however comment that an employer must be continually alert to changing information and evidence. This highlights the importance not only of carrying out risk assessments, but ensuring they are constantly evolving as the risk changes, no matter how thorough the original assessment was.

The Government issues new guidance documents on its website more or less weekly and businesses in the hospitality industry should focus on

Heineken Bottles Go Even Greener

Heineken® is taking part in ground-breaking research producing glass bottles using up to 100% recycled glass and low carbon biofuel, replacing high carbon natural gas. The trial, which is in its early stages, will see 1.4 million bottles of Heineken produced with the intent of hitting supermarket shelves in the UK with this revolutionary glass. If successful, the trial could set the path for a radical reduction in the use of carbon in glass manufacturing.

Heineken is working in partnership with global glass manufacturer and filler, Encirc (a Vidrala company), and not-for-profit industry research and development organisation, Glass Futures, to trial bottles made from up to 100% recycled glass, using only the energy from burn-

ing ultra-low-carbon sustainable biofuels. The pilot scheme, funded by the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, will assess the relative resilience of the new bottles throughout the entire supply chain.

The low carbon bottle trial is part of a global partnership working on sustainable glass solutions to advance the reduction of carbon in the industry. With 1.4m bottles entering the market, the findings will contribute to continuing work to find a scalable sustainable solution for the long-term, as the glass sector moves away from fossil fuels, and towards low-carbon alternatives.

Made from waste organic materials, biofuels are a renewable and

‘non-clinical settings’. Employers will inevitably turn to the Government – as well as sector-specific – guidance so that they can evaluate and control risk. It is worth thinking about putting one person (or a committee) in charge of reviewing guidance documents.

It is important that businesses follow through on their duty to report Covid-19 (a ‘notifiable disease’) to their local authority, as per the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, which states that should any individual be diagnosed with Covid19, with their likely exposure being work-related, the case has to be reported. In this way, regulators are put on notice of cases which they may then choose to investigate. It will be difficult to establish a causative connection between infection and work in individual cases, therefore regulators are watching out for clusters of cases with common links to organisations.

Finally, businesses must not forget to remain vigilant as to non-Covid related work hazards which may have been exacerbated by the changes thrown up by the pandemic. The Health & Safety Executive does acknowledge that there are instances in which social distancing measures cannot be adhered to because multiple employees are needed for a job to be carried out safely, e.g. manual handling. So, while employers must attempt to control the spread of Covid-19, they should not do so at the expense of their employees’ safety from traditional work-place accidents. This is likely to be the most common route to future civil claims: employers focussing on Covid-19 related risks end up unwillingly exposing employees to secondary dangers from new, untested work practices.

While businesses will struggle to trade as profitably as normal under current circumstances, taking the above precautions will go a long way in ensuring they are not put at risk of civil or criminal sanctions, which could be financially crippling in the long run. much more sustainable fuel source than those traditionally used by the glass sector, and can reduce the production carbon footprint of each bottle by up to 90%. Additionally, by using up to 100% recycled glass to produce the new bottles, the trial has been able to minimise even further the environmental impact of these products.

Matt Callan, Brewing and Operations Director, HEINEKEN UK says: “The trial is a huge step forward in finding a scalable solution to reducing carbon from glass manufacturing. This is a great example of working together with different suppliers to advance sustainable practices.

Testing 1.4m bottles in the market will provide much needed insight into the practicalities of introducing an ultra-low carbon option with glass, and the results will inform further development with the eventual goal of introducing low carbon bottles at scale.

“As part of our Brewing a Better World sustainability strategy, we have a continued focus on reducing CO2 from our entire supply chain.

Collaboration is key – innovation, testing and trial will be at the heart of our continuous efforts to ‘Drop the C’. "

A Tenth of Brits Report Feeling Unwell After Consuming Food from Social Media Chefs - A Growing Concern for the FSA Research has revealed that nearly four fifths (79%) of Brits have bought home-cooked meals from unregistered social media chefs over the past 12 months, and a tenth (9%) reported feeling unwell after their purchase. These findings come following a surge in people starting at-home food businesses since the first lockdown; a concern for the Food Standards Agency which is struggling to monitor health and safety compliance*.

causes harm.

5. Listeria - Less common than the other germs, Listeria can cause serious illness and is caught by consuming contaminated food. It primarily affects pregnant women, new-borns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. Symptoms are similar to a mild flu, with diarrhoea and sickness for most however for unborn babies it can be fatal. Once infected it can take anywhere between 1 to 90 days for the illness to develop.**** The brand discovered that pizza was the most common social media meal choice, with more than half (51%) of Brits admitting to ordering one, followed by roast dinners (38%), Indian food (27%) and homemade cakes/desserts (21%).

A study has revealed that more than three quarters (79%) of Brits have ordered food from an unregistered home takeaway or social media chef during lockdown.

These findings come following a surge in people starting at-home food businesses since the first lockdown; a concern for the Food Standards Agency, which is struggling to monitor health and safety compliance.

As part of the study, Oliver’s Kitchen asked 5,000 members of the public which type of homemade takeaway food they’d ordered from social media in lockdown, and whether they had any negative experiences following their consumption of the food.

A tenth (9%) of respondents said they had suffered with either tummy ache or diarrhoea following a purchase from a social media chef, and more than a third (34%) were concerned with the appearance/smell of the food and its packaging when it arrived.

When setting up a food business at home, by law UK residents must register with their local authority, and have local authority officers complete a Food Hygiene Inspection at their residence. Food businesses must also use HACCP procedures or a HACCP-based Food Safety Management System, as approved by the Government.

These systems and protocols are in place to stop the spread of foodrelated illnesses. The five most common food related illnesses are: 1. Salmonella - poultry such as chicken and turkey are especially likely to carry this bacteria. Symptoms include diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps,

and usually start 6 hours to 6 days after infection and can last 4 to 7 days.

Adequate cooking of meat usually kills Salmonella bacteria, however humans can catch it from vegetables, fruit and dairy that come into contact with it.

2. Norovirus - Norovirus is a group of viruses that can cause an infection of the gut in humans, and is commonly caught from other people who are carrying the virus on their hands and transmitted on objects. The virus is expelled from the body when someone goes to the toilet, which is why hand hygiene is a key in stopping the spread. Symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea, headache and fever 3. Campylobacter - People can catch it by eating undercooked poultry or eating something that has come into contact with it. Symptoms usually last a week and include diarrhoea, nausea, stomach ache and in severe cases temporary paralysis and arthritis. Pets infected with the bacteria can also pass it on to humans.

4. E. Coli - This bacteria is found in the environment, foods and intestines of humans and animals. Some kinds of E. coli can cause diarrhoea, while others cause urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia. Good hand and food hygiene should kill the bacteria before it is ingested and

Participants were also asked where they buy these homemade takeaways from, the majority (77%) stated ‘Facebook’ however Snapchat (5%) and Gumtree (10%) were also cited. When asked if they were aware that independent takeaways and food businesses were required by law to undergo safety/hygiene checks, more than a third (34%) stated ‘no’.

Oliver Warburton, founder of Oliver’s Kitchen, said, “At Oliver’s Kitchen we’ve made it our goal to keep up to date with all the latest trends and fads within popular culture, and in particular the food industry. Since the emergence of the coronavirus back in March of last year, the hospitality sector has been one of the hardest hit, with roughly three closures happening for every new opening.

“So, with people spending more and more time indoors, unable to go to their favourite restaurants, it’s no wonder that so many have turned to unregistered vendors selling unique and bespoke homemade meals.

However, I was surprised to see how many people were unaware that every food establishment should have a hygiene rating by law!

“It’s a growing trend at the moment, but unfortunately it doesn’t come without its risks. We really do urge people to ensure they know where they are buying their food from, because a nasty spout of food poisoning isn’t fun for anybody, and in serious cases it can be very dangerous.”

Issue 49

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Hawthorn Announces Latest Pub Partner Support Initiatives Hawthorn, The Community Pub Company, has revealed its latest package of support for Pub Partners and Operators ahead of the reopening of pubs in England on 12th April, and Scotland on the 26th. The new measures set out Hawthorn’s rent policy through until August 2021, support for its Operator Managed estate, and deals and incentives to help Partners get up and running and return to profitability as quickly as possible.

To enable as many of its Leased & Tenanted pubs as possible to reopen next month, Hawthorn will continue with current rent levels through to the end of May, with further reductions continuing throughout June and July, with Support Grants continuing to be available post-August for any pubs requiring extra assistance.

Under the new proposals, rent will be capped at around 30% until the end of May, before increasing to 50% in June and 75% in July before returning to 100% in August in-line with the expected gradual increase in trade.

Further measures being introduced to support Partners include cashback incentives on all purchases, enhanced credit terms and step-by-step re-opening guides, as well as Point of Sale provided to all pubs to enable to them to safely welcome back their Customers.

portion of the Scottish estate is expected to trade on 26th April, while the company is awaiting further information about the roadmap for reopening in Wales.

Of Hawthorn’s L&T pubs set to reopen on 12th April, more than 30% have been beneficiaries of its Pub Partner Investment Fund (PPIF), introduced last year, where Hawthorn matches every £1 its Partners invest in outdoor space or increasing trading capacity, up to £10,000. To date, together Hawthorn and its Partners have invested over £500,000 in 110 schemes to add lighting, heating, and covers, and support Covid compliance in pubs across the estate.

In addition, Hawthorn has continued to invest in its estate throughout the pandemic through its CAPEX programme, with over £10 million spent in the past twelve months, and projects being brought forward during the latest lockdown. A large portion of this investment has gone into improving beer gardens and making as many of Hawthorns’ pubs as possible the best places for customers to enjoy a beer in long-awaited company.

Hawthorn’s ongoing support for its Pub Partners has been met with positive feedback. During the first lockdown, 97% of Partners & Operators said that Hawthorn met or exceeded expectations, and KAM Media’s recent Licensee Index saw Hawthorn outperform its peers across a wide range of categories, including COVID-19 support (9.2/10), quality of BDM (8.8), and likelihood to recommend the company to other publicans (8.3).

Hawthorn is also providing additional packages of support for its Operator Managed pubs, with around £550,000 worth of support to be paid to Operators at both trading and non-trading pubs, with funds covering labour costs, and being invested in outside areas to increase capacities.

Since March 2020, Hawthorn has provided more than £8m of support for its Partners and Operators, measures which helped Partner retention and ensured its pubs could bounce back quickly coming out of the first national lockdown, when its portfolio of community and suburban pubs outperformed the market in the 3-month period from July 4th 2020. As a result of the extensive support being offered this time around, the community pub company predicts that more than 300 – or around 60% – of its pubs in England will be open for trading on 12th April. A similar pro-

Hawthorn CEO, Mark Davies, said: “It is incredibly important to me and everyone at Hawthorn that we support our Partners and Operators to get back to full strength as quickly as possible. Our business is only successful if our Partners’ businesses are successful, and we hope this package of measures will help our pubs to bounce back stronger and more quickly. In the KAM Media Licensee Index, we improved across 49 out of 51 measures, which is testament to the team’s effort and focus over the past year.”

Punch Pubs Invest £1m in Outdoor Spaces Punch Pubs las launched a £1M outdoor investment scheme, to support their pubs in preparing for outdoor reopening in April.

Punch and their Publicans have been working in tandem to create solutions from new furniture to stretch tents, festoon lighting, cosy huts, and all-important out-

Outdoor spaces such as beer gardens, patios and courtyards have never been so important in the world of pubs. Inside|Outside is an investment programme specifically designed to help Punch Publicans to maximise the opportunity of trading safely outside whilst complying with Government guidance.

door heating. The scheme has already seen hundreds of projects completed across

The success of the scheme will allow many pubs to open outdoors on the 12th of April, including plenty that previously would have not had the capacity. This has contributed to a fantastic total of 662 (72%) Punch pubs in England set to welcome guests back to their local on 12th April.

Publicans, we have breathed new life into many of our pub gardens and outdoor

As part of the Publican-led scheme, Punch is investing over one million pounds, transforming hundreds of outdoor spaces nationally, providing a safe space for communities to reconnect and enjoy a pint & a bite to eat, in a space that can be enjoyed all year round.

the country, with many more currently underway.

Andy Spencer, Managing Director, says: “Working together with hundreds of our spaces. Creating safe, warm, and welcome environments to give our guests fantastic experiences when we reopen and for the future. Like all of our Publicans able to reopen, we are excited to welcome our customers back in April. However, it remains vitally important to remember that pubs will be operating at a significantly reduced capacity. We need restrictions to continue to be relaxed during the reopening period to ensure the long-term survival of the Great British Pub”.

Star Extends Rent Reduction To May 16-Full Rent From June Star Pubs & Bars is extending its 90% rent reduction for pubs on core leased and tenanted agreements in England from 1 March when the concessions were due to end to 16 May.

In addition to rent relief, Star is offering free Covid-19 safety point-of-sale materials, new training modules, trading insight and supplier discounts to help licensees make the most of their outdoor space.

Between 17 May and 20 June, when trading restrictions , subject to the government’s roadmap being successful are lifted, the pubco has said it will offer a further 10% concession, meaning a pub’s rent will average 50% during the month of May, after which from June 21 pubs will begin to pay full rent.

Lawson Mountstevens, managing director Star Pubs & Bars said: “It’s a year since the first lockdown and I’m immensely proud of the resilience our Star colleagues and licensees have shown in the most challenging trading conditions we’ve seen in generations. If the government sticks to its reopening roadmap plans, it should be a great summer as research shows the public can’t wait to get back to the pub.

Rent concessions will also be offered to pubs in Scotland and Wales once there is clarity from the Scottish and Welsh governments on reopening dates.

The announcement brings Star Pubs & Bars’ total investment in rent concessions to £62m since March 2020.

The concessions will remain under review in the event of any government policy alterations and additional government support for the pub sector.

“Following the chancellor’s support package, including the announcement of cash restart grants, the government needs to look at the long-term sustainability of the pub industry. We are excited about investment opportunities across the UK and have a leading role to play in helping the country’s economic recovery and supporting the government’s levelling-up agenda – but we need meaningful alcohol duty and business rates reform, as well as a long-term VAT cut on all sales across hospitality.”

Senedd Members Pledge Support For Alliance Campaign To Save Pubs Several Members of the Senedd have pledged their support for a campaign to save pubs in Wales, by calling for an immediate practical roadmap forward for their reopening.

Last Friday, Countryside Alliance Wales began a nationwide push to get pubs trading again, after fears many will go permanently out of business unless they can open by Easter.

The launch of #UnlockInnWales, an online campaign which is led by the Alliance, follows revelations in a recent survey of pub landlords that found a staggering six in 10 believing they will go out of business if lockdown restrictions are not sufficiently lifted until the summer.

Landlords also revealed that they had spent staggering sums – between £1,000 – £5,000 on installing features designed to comply

with and aid COVID-19 safety guidance: including outdoor heaters,

hand sanitising stations and personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff, in the hope of being able to re-open.

Since going live, the public have been signing an e-lobby which asks their local Member of the Senedd to put forward the case to the Welsh Government to allow pubs to start trading again.

With a week to go until First Minister Mark Drakeford’s next statement, the campaign has received cross-party backing from several MSs including: Russell George AS/MS, Rhun ap Iorwerth AS/MS, Neil Hamilton AS/MS, Mark Isherwood AS/MS and Darren Millar AS/MS. The campaign asks the Welsh Government to: • Offer a practical road map for pubs and the hospitality industry at large to help them realistically prepare for when they can resume trading again.

• If pubs are forced to remain closed into the Summer months, please provide these struggling businesses with increased financial support. We cannot see them fall by the wayside.

Rachel Evans, spokesperson for Countryside Alliance Wales said: “ Pubs in Wales form an integral part of the community, especially in rural areas. They provide a large number of jobs and have big networks of other businesses that rely on them being open for trade. With just under a week to go until the First Minister outlines a way forward, it is vital that the case for reopening pubs and hospitality is made now and louder than ever before. These already fragile businesses desperately need a roadmap forward so they can plan for safe reopening.”

Pork Scratchings Named Favourite Pub Snack 18

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named pork scratchings among their favourites while 34 per cent named peanuts.

The survey, which separated crisps by flavour, surprisingly revealed that only 4 per cent of pubgoers named cheese and onion among their top pub snacks, with salt and vinegar coming third while ready salted came fourth. Bacon fries made the top 20, as did Bombay mix, Scotch eggs and pickled eggs.

Olives, salami sticks and wasabi peas were also among the preferred snacks.

Pork scratchings are the UK’s favourite pub snack according to a recent poll, with peanuts (salted and dry roasted) second and third followed by salt and vinegar crisps.

According to food historians, butchers started selling pork scratchings in the 1930s, calling it crackling, however it is believed they first went to market almost 100 years ago in the West Midlands is working class snack arising from the addition of families keeping their own pig at home to be fed to the slaughter.

Matt Smith, Marketing Director, Tayto Group who own the UK’s top 3 pork brands says, “We’ve seen sales of scratchings soar – even through lockdown – as people ‘take the pub taste home’.

Pub snacks have long been a traditional favourite, often bought on impulse, and are considered the perfect partner with a drink, with pork scratchings, traditionally made from pork rind, delivering a distinctive combination of hard crunch and a rich soft texture, and seen as the perfect “meat and drink” combination for pub goers with 83% of pork snacks consumed with a drink.

The past 12 months have provided unprecedented challenges for the pub sector, now as pubs prepare to open their outdoor spaces on April 12, with indoor spaces open from May 17, 2,000 pubgoers were asked to choose their favourite snacks, with no limit on their selections., And 37%

“We know that snack sales increase by up to

80% when they are made more visible. If customers can see your range they are more likely to buy so, stocking the right range and ensuring they are highly visible as crucial capturing those profitable incremental impulse sales”, we have developed some fantastic POS including bar runners, beer mats and display solutions specifically to support on trade sales” “We’re thrilled that it’s ‘official’ – when it comes to the ULTIMATE PUB SNACK, there’s no matching a scratching!”

Rob Parkin of SCTSCT commented, “All good landlords know how to please the customers and will have a good selection of ready snacks for every drink and every occasion. And simple ready to eat snacks work well!

“Bar snacks are quick, convenient and increase profits, keeping the customers content and encourage more drink sales. We are now seeing something of a renaissance for traditional snacks in the on trade sector with pork scratchings in particular which are back in fashion!”

David Arnold, director of Perspectus Global, which carried out the survey, said he was ‘delighted’ to see pork scratchings at the top of the list.

He added that 73 per cent of those surveyed cited their local pub as their number one ‘happy place’.

What Travel and Hospitality Businesses Have Done To Gear Up For Recovery in 2021: Lessons From High Performing Organisations The last twelve months has seen unreliable market forecasts, swinging like a pendulum, under-estimating the level of recovery in Q3 2020, and over-estimating future growth in Q4 2020. It is not only the innovative and responsive businesses that will emerge stronger, but those who are insightful. Tim Davis, founder and managing director of travel and hospitality management consultancy PACE Dimensions (www.pacedimensions.com), shares his insights into the winning ways that organisations most primed for recovery are employing.

1. FUTURE PROOF FOR LONG TERM RESILIENCE Full recovery in the travel, hospitality and leisure sectors will differ by market and will greatly depend on the purpose of travel. Recovery and the return of demand to 2019 performance levels globally will likely take at least another five years. As recovery will be cautious, and the early start of demand will be price sensitive, organisations need to build a resilience strategy for a five-year approach.

2. RESEARCH INVESTMENT BUILDS COMPETITIVE EDGE Trends such as rates of recovery, demand, domestic marketing focus, mixed-use real estate and repurposed spaces are shaping how the trav-

el industry is reacting to the pandemic. Travel and hospitality businesses need to develop forward looking insights on the market and the lines of business with the greatest potential and rate of return, and then pivot the marketing and resources to support and prioritise.

3. REVENUE PROFESSIONALS’ BALANCING ACT Revenue professionals who focus mostly on tactical price control will have to broaden their horizon in the future when travel resumes.

Businesses need to increase their focus on revenue per trip against the demand and price, with the background knowledge that sub-optimal demand will be the norm for the next four years. Maximising all possible areas of revenue per guest, with the support of frictionless technology to merchandise at every relevant opportunity, will aid turning operations into profit.

4. RETURN ON INVESTMENT Businesses should consider repurposing spaces that will not be utilised, moving to mixed-use spaces and embracing new norms from remote and flexible workforces. Large spaces traditionally found inside hotels that are unlikely to attract the same revenue as before – such as conference and banqueting facilities – are being repurposed. Expect to see some of the fastest changes in this area, with events space being dedicated to new work-from-hotel membership clubs. Already a trend pre-Covid, but likely to be accelerated, in the future greater mixed-use developments will combine hospitality, retail and working spaces delivering first-class experiences.

5. BUILDING AN AGILE OPERATING MODEL It’s recommended that businesses transform their operating model to build greater agility, speed to innovate, and discipline in execution.

Executing well is as important as a good strategy. Technology innovation has rapidly reduced the time for the fastest growth companies to

move from new market entrant to dominance, and increased the level of disruption to industries.

6. ACCELERATE ADOPTION OF DIGITAL RESOURCES This has been a period of accelerated digital adoption as customer buying behaviour has shifted to brands that have empowered them with the choice, control, and confidence. Winning brands have made the customer experience frictionless, reliable and consistent. Instead of investing in large, cumbersome new systems, savvy hoteliers are focused on subscription-based technology partners who can provide platforms that can truly integrate across various systems. it is important to focus on customer experience and broadening what can be sold to customers.

7. BUILD SUSTAINABILITY INTO YOUR LONGTERM PLANS Travellers of tomorrow are acutely aware of their environmental footprint. Rising legislation and penalties, access to financing and broadening customer brand appeal are all growing drivers of change as well as improving operating efficiency. The combination of political, legal, economic and societal trends will start to generate green and sustainable choices that consumers have a high propensity to buy.

The seismic shock of the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted to many organisations that they weren’t ready to deal with such an all-engrossing crisis. In 2021, consumer expectations of a rapid recovery are lower. Stimulus will be more constrained, and governments more cautious at removing restrictions. To be successful in the future requires the agility to manage and respond to major events, with increasing frequency. Corporate machines need to learn to act with greater agility and speed.

Stonegate Reports £746m Loss as Pandemic Closures Hit Sales The UK’s largest pub company, the Stonegate Pub Company, which currently employs 16,000 people, has an estate of over 1200 managed sites and 3200 leased and tenanted sites, has reported a pre-tax loss of £746m in its latest financial results, compared to a £26m loss the year before. The company’s recorded a loss is they say primarily due to estate depreciation and costs arising from its 1.27 billion acquisition of Ei group in March 2020.

During the 52 weeks ended 27 September 2020, the company, which has a portfolio including the Be At One and Slug & Lettuce brands, also said Covid restrictions on pubs had a "significant impact" on the group's liquidity, with all its pubs closed during the national lockdown and saw restricted trading for the remaining months of the financial year and revenues causing sales to fall by 17% to £707m.

The company said that it had benefited from £70m in state support, with £62m income from the furlough scheme, £4m from the government’s “Eat Out to Help Out” initiative last summer and £3m benefit from business rates relief.

Despite receiving a £50m cash injection from owner TDR Capital, it said legislation, utility costs, business rates and leasehold rents raised an ongoing risk to the business and "the events and future uncertain effect on trading arising as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak indicate that a material uncertainty exists that may cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern."

Should the country be forced into a further lockdown this winter, the group said it would have insufficient liquidity in January 2022 and may have to resort to selling assets or raising new debt or equity.

Experts Advise Pubs, Bars and Restaurants to Check Their Drains Ahead of Reopening 20

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Your water system will need to be flushed in order to protect public health.

With the hospitality sector set to reopen over the next couple of months, commercial and domestic drain specialists Lanes For Drains provide commentary on how these businesses can safely prepare for reopening by ensuring their drainage systems are in good working order.

THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Blockages caused by fat, oil and grease can lead to huge issues for pubs, restaurants and bars, making it incredibly important that they carry out the necessary maintenance work both before, during and after this reopening.

Not only is this beneficial for the environment, but it means that businesses are less likely to face any drainage issues that could cause further unwanted disruption to their services.

It is crucial that any essential drainage work has been carried out before reopening, especially since these businesses have been closed for a long period of time. There may be underlying issues that could cause huge implications for hospitality providers if they are not addressed before the reopening phase.

Some things you should consider before reopening, in order to ensure things run as smoothly as possible:

ESSENTIAL MAINTENANCE Grease traps are now an environmental and legal requirement for all pubs, restaurants and hotels as the proper disposal method for fat, oil and grease - it is important that you have installed these in your premises.

FOG (fat, oil and grease) management - make sure you have also invested in

grease trap cleaning and maintenance - especially if you haven’t done this for a while. Even though your premises haven’t been in use, there is still likely to be build-up and it’s always best to check.

Provide a deep clean of all of your facilities, including bathrooms - consider urinal and pipe descaling where necessary.

Organise a full drain survey before reopening so that any required drain cleaning can be performed to prevent blockages or build-up.

Check for mould - this could have built up during the period of closure due to the damp, cold weather conditions and the building being out of use for so long.

Strange or unpleasant smells - can you notice anything that doesn’t smell quite right? Try and identify where you think this is coming from and contact an expert to help.

Stagnant water - if you notice this, it is important that you attend to it straight away, as the water can often be contaminated.

Evidence of pests - can you see any evidence of pests in or around your working environment? Again, this is incredibly important to recognise and deal with ASAP as pests living in your drains can cause a number of issues.

Slow-draining sinks - this may indicate that you have a blocked drain that requires your attention.

Ignored blockages - have you ignored any blockages previously that could have worsened over time? If so, you will need to organise to have the blockage removed.

Lanes for Drains provides industry-leading solutions to all your drainage and wastewater emergencies, from removing blockages to repairing, rehabilitating and renewing drains and sewers nationwide.

Visit www.lanesfordrains.co.uk for surther information.

Experts Launch Free Webinar To Support The Hospitality Industry…

A LEADING international digital agency is to share its insights for free, in a bid to help the hospitality industry get back on its feet.

“As a company we have spent the time looking at how we can maximise commercial opportunities and what hospitality can look like in a post-pandemic world and that’s what we are planning to share.”

UK-based Curtis Gabriel has made its name as a go-to social media and digital marketing agency which specialises in supporting hotels, bars and restaurants around the globe.

The company has engaged with a number of experts who will be sharing their words of wisdom in a series of cameo appearances during the event.

And now it is planning to give something back, with a free webinar showcasing how hospitality can adapt “to drive post-pandemic commercial success.”

The webinar will cover topics such as customer engagement, quality content and messaging and utilising paid advertising, with a view to giving participants the tools they need to move forward.

Managing Director, Simon Curtis, stresses that the event is not about the company selling its service.

“We have shared the hospitality industry’s pain over the past 12 months,” he said.

“We have watched many of our clients suffer through absolutely no fault of their own and it’s been heartbreaking to see.

“The whole idea is for us to share our knowledge and help aid post pandemic recovery,” said Simon.

The webinar will take place on March 23 at 5pm GMT time, while also being accessed across the USA and UAE. Anyone wanting to take part can register at www.curtisgabriel.com/hospitality2021

Scottish Hospitality Trade Bodies Provide Government with Route Out of Lockdown A UNITED set of recommendations from organisations representing Scotland’s hospitality sector has now been submitted to the government.

The hospitality groups have urged the Government to mirror the reopening plans for England as closely as possible, with the stripping away of additional restrictions such as a curfew and the service of alcohol only with a meal. However, the groups have also provided Government with a series of small tweaks to the levels in the current system that would allow the sector to meet both public health and economy objectives as strict Covid measures remain in place.

Research from leading economic consultancy, BiGGAR Economics, shows that this proposed pragmatic approach is essential if the Scottish Government is to avoid catastrophic business failure across the hospitality sector.

The figures show that under the current Level 3 restrictions, 54% of hospitality businesses could be operating, which generates a turnover of £269 million and supports 21,900 jobs.

If Government were to open with the proposed Level 3 industry ask, 73% of businesses could be operating, generating a turnover of £927 million and supporting 53,300 jobs.

Graeme Blackett, director of BiGGAR Economics, said: “This study highlights the severe negative economic impact that the Covid-19 lockdown has had on the hospitality sector, the businesses and people who work in the sector itself, and in the supply chain.

“It also demonstrates that the changes to the restrictions in the level system that the hospitality sector has proposed, can place the hospitality sector and the wider food and drink supply chain in a much stronger position. Adjustments to the restrictions could get thousands of people back to work and allow the sector to generate turnover and contribute significantly to the public finances in the coming weeks and months.”

BiGGAR Economics’ study also found that under the newly-proposed Level 2 changes, 91% of businesses could be operating, which would generate a turnover of £1.2 billion and support 68,000 jobs. This is compared to current Level 2 restrictions in which only 73% of business could operate, generating a turnover of £634 million and supporting only 34,900 jobs.

Dayalan Nayager, managing director of Diageo GB, said: “We support

our colleagues across the hospitality sector in seeking a safe and sustainable reopening of businesses, with appropriate measures to protect people and communities while also securing the economic future of the industry and those who work in it.”

Colin Wilkinson, managing director of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), said: “Hospitality sector groups have joined together to present a proposal which will provide a more sustainable environment for hospitality businesses as we continue down the long Road Map out of the pandemic.

“With all of the current levels in the Strategic Framework of restrictions affecting business viability across the board, changes need to be made if this important sector to Scotland’s economy is to survive, continue to provide jobs, contribute to the public purse and restart the important role it plays in local economies and the fabric of the community. By tweaking the restrictions in the various levels, the Scottish Government have the opportunity to throw a lifeline to the industry and those that it employs as we ride out the storm.

“The BiGGAR Study shows that minor changes will give the boost that the industry needs and will aid the recovery of a sector that is battered and bruised.”

Stephen Montgomery, group spokesperson for the SHG, said: “We hope that this latest research will give the Scottish Government the push to re-address the current levels system which has unfairly targeted our industry since last year. All of SHG’s members remain committed to rebuilding consumer confidence so that we can begin trading safely in the coming months, and I am confident that these figures will solidify

that trust among our customers.”

CEO of the Scottish Beer & Pub Association, Emma McClarkin, said: “Our industry has been devastated by the pandemic and the recovery won’t truly begin until Scotland’s pubs are fully reopened. We cannot afford to delay the recovery and endanger the future of the industry, which is vital to Scotland’s economy. Our hope is that Scotland will follow close to the unlocking plans in England, which would help ensure our businesses are not a competitive disadvantage.

“However, should the Scottish Government remain wedded to a regional levels approach then our joint plan would see an additional £658m in turnover and support an extra 31,400 jobs in Level 3 compared to the current system. Government must listen to the industry and give the thousands of operators a glimmer of hope.”

Willie Macleod, executive director, Scotland for UK Hospitality (UKH) said: “The trade bodies have worked closely to propose workable reopening measures to Scottish Government which would improve the viability prospects of hospitality and licensed businesses which have been among the hardest hit in any sector over the past year. UKH urges the Scottish Government to agree a plan for reopening that will remove any risk of vulnerable businesses failing at the eleventh hour.

“The plan for reopening Scotland’s economy has to acknowledge that hotels, bars and restaurants are still at severe risk and must place the survival of our sector, which will be integral to the economic recovery of the country, at its heart. The report from BiGGAR Economics shows how the reopening of hospitality venues can secure jobs, kick-start the vital supply chain and ensure that public health remains a priority.”

Mike Grieve, chairperson of NTIA Scotland said: “We strongly urge the First Minister to act on the proposed revised levels as outlined in the hospitality joint association letter, and to engage in discussions with the group to find solutions appropriate to the needs of all hospitality businesses as a matter of urgency. The priority must be to set a clear roadmap out of lockdown as vaccination levels rise and hospitalisation rates drop, and to aim for full reopening of the sector at Level 0 with the complete removal of all trading restrictions, including social distancing, restricted capacity, restricted trading hours, curfews and restrictions on entertainment, performance, music and dancing.”

Finalists Named in Community Pub Hero Awards Issue 49

The shortlisted pubs all impressed the judges with their support for local communities during the Covid lockdowns, whether by offering vital supplies for residents, cooking hot meals for the elderly or countering social isolation through online quizzes or chats. The awards attracted 115 entries, including 60 from MPs who nominated pubs in their constituencies, as well as direct submissions from pubs. The finalists will now be judged and the overall winner announced later this spring in an online presentation event attended by finalists and their MPs.

www.mowdendarlington.co.uk

This is the third year for the competition, which has been reshaped and renamed - it was formerly Charity Pub of the Year - to focus on community support rather than traditional charity fundraising. Despite pubs being closed for much of the entry window, more entries were received than for the last competition in 2019. Judging was carried out by a panel of experts drawn from across the pub industry.

The Old Courts, Wigan

THE 10 SHORTLISTED PUBS ARE: The Angel & Crown, Richmond The Bowgie Inn, Crantock near Newquay, Cornwall The Clifton Arms, Blackburn The Horse & Jockey, Melling, Merseyside The Mowden, Darlington The Portsmouth Arms, Hatch Warren, Basingstoke

to use ingredients that would otherwise have gone to land fill. The team served more than 6,000 meals and staged a number of online pub quizzes to keep the community connected, including the world's first online deaf-friendly quiz. On the August Bank Holiday, the Bevy hosted a free family fun day offering socially-distanced arts crafts and fun for local children. www.thebevy.co.uk

The Old Courts, Wigan The Orange Tree, Baldock, Hertfordshire

The Bowgie Inn, Newquay, Cornwall

The Portobello Inn, West Kingsdown, Kent

Licensee and owner: Sally Pickles MP: Steve Double The Bowgie Inn used its position overlooking beautiful Crantock beach to offer people uplifting support and compassion during lockdown. Every day, owner Sally Pickles streamed daily live video streams from the beach on social media, so people were able to experience the magic of Cornwall, with thousands of viewers watching and hundreds commenting, not just in the UK, but around the world. People shared their memories of Cornwall, and it was clear the daily videos were making lockdown life a little bit easier as they enjoyed the sound of the sea, watched the waves and stayed connected to the coast. In addition, The Bowgie hosted virtual live music gigs raising money for the NHS, streamed on Facebook straight to people's living rooms (watched by over 20,000 people), as well as a Virtual Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday, an Easter Drawing Competition, free weekly Virtual Live Yoga sessions and 'thank you' campaigns giving out Bowgie vouchers to local heroes on the front-line of the pandemic.

PubAid co-founder Des O'Flanagan said: "Our heartfelt congratulations go to these pubs, who have all earned their place in the finals by going the extra mile and beyond during the lockdowns. Traditional, event-led charity fundraising in pubs was made next to impossible when pubs had to close in March last year, but that didn't stop licensees and their teams from doing all they could to support their local communities, despite frequently facing hardship and uncertainty themselves.

"Choosing the 10 finalists was a real challenge for the judges, as every pub who entered had a strong story to tell. Those who have reached the shortlist should be very proud of their achievement."

Richard Hayhoe, Marketing Director, Matthew Clark added: "We were delighted to support this competition for a third year and pleased with the response from pubs and the many MPs who nominated a ‘hero' in their constituency. The fantastic work done by so many licensees and teams during the lockdowns and periods of restricted trading over the last year have provided a vital lifeline to countless people, and prove that pubs are genuinely a force for good in their communities."

Mike Wood, MP for Dudley South and Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, said: "These awards have been a great opportunity for MPs to celebrate how landladies and landlords in their constituencies have stepped up to the mark to support their community during the pandemic. Yet again we have seen that pubs are the antidote to isolation."

THE FINALISTS The Angel & Crown, Richmond Licensee: Nick Botting MP: Sarah Olney The team at this Fuller's pub, led by licensee Nick Botting, jumped into action as soon as lockdown was announced, providing hot food and drinks, clothing and toiletries to anyone in need, as well as pairing with local homeless organisation SPEAR to help find accommodation for people. At the height of the first lockdown, they were serving up to 70 people a day, initially funded by Nick but as demand grew, local residents stepped up to continue the service. In total, the Angel & Crown served 5,000 hot meals, 6,000 cups of tea and 7,000 bottles of water to local people in need. www.angel-and-crown-richmond.co.uk

The Bevy, Brighton Licensee: Chris Llewellyn MP: Lloyd Russell-Moyle When lockdown was announced in March 2020, the Bevy's team of volunteers and staff decided they would cook and deliver hot meals three times a week to ensure that none of the elderly attendees of our regular lunch clubs went hungry. Delivering the Bevy Meals on Wheels provided not just dinner, but a friendly face and socially distanced chat, as most of these people were self-isolating. The team worked with local schools, churches, charities and community groups and with Fareshare,

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When The Mowden shut its doors in March 2020, licensees Simon & Rachel Leadbetter offered to turn their surplus food stock into meals for local vulnerable people. Their Facebook post led to around 40 meals being delivered in the first week of lockdown, and as word spread - with local press and the BBC covering the story - requests flooded in. Over the next 10 weeks, Simon & Rachel and a team of helpers worked six days a week to deliver 900 meals to elderly and vulnerable locals, funded by £9,500 in donations to a justgiving page. Simon said: "It was a difficult time for the business, but helping others in our community really helped us and gave us a focus in such strange times."

Ten pubs have been named as finalists in the Community Pub Hero Awards, organised by PubAid and the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group (APPBG) and sponsored by Matthew Clark.

The Bevy, Brighton

CLH Digital

www.bowgie.com

The Clifton Arms, Blackburn Licensee: Carole Davis MP: Kate Hollern When Covid and lockdown struck, the team at Admiral Taverns pub The Clifton Arms were determined to stay connected with their community. Led by licensee Carole Davis, the team started sending out boxes of essential groceries to vulnerable locals. They sent fruit baskets to keep staff at local hospitals and care homes healthy, provided TVs and radios for care home residents, and hot meals and warm clothing for the homeless. At the start of lockdown, they donated 60 Easter lunches for local postal workers. Just as importantly, Carole and her team are always available to help anyone in need. As one local said: "It doesn't matter what a person asks for, this community pub and its landlord and landlady, and a team of dedicated customers, will make sure they get it." www.facebook.com/The-Clifton-Arms-351843581513246

Licensee: Rebecca Davenport MP: Lisa Nandy The team at the Old Courts, led by licensee Rebecca Davenport, delivered 700 food parcels to local people in need, and a further 10,000 packed lunches to children during school holidays. They also made over 900 phone calls to isolated residents. The pub supports a number of local arts and music community projects so during lockdown they also collected unwanted musical instruments for children who wanted to learn but couldn't afford an instrument - a great way to turn lockdown into a learning opportunity for youngsters. Other groups helped by the Old Courts include the Wigan Autistic Theatre Company, School of Rock and Over-50 Jammers. www.theoldcourts.com

The Orange Tree, Baldock, Hertfordshire Licensee: Rob Scahill MP: Oliver Heald On the day after lockdown, licensee Rob Scahill decided to turn his pub into a shop. Within a couple of days, he had stocked his store by reaching out to suppliers, staff and friends offering to volunteer, and help from Greene King. With this support to make the shop viable, Rob chose to make it a not-for-profit operation and, in flash of inspiration, added 20% to the cost price of items with that amount going to a new Baldock Musicians Support Fund - founded by Rob to support local musicians who would be struggling without the pub gigs they relied upon to make ends meet. The Orange Tree shop opened every day, firstly for ‘priority' customers including vulnerable and NHS workers, giving them a safe shopping environment before it opened to other residents. Rob also continued the pub's much-loved quiz going through lockdown, with more than 100 people joining online every Tuesday. Rob said: "I am so proud to be able to say that I never closed my doors. The Baldock Musicians Fund is now closed but in the 15 weeks from the first Saturday of lockdown, we raised an utterly incredible £22,119.25." www.theorangetreebaldock.com/startpage.htm

The Portobello Inn, West Kingsdown, near Sevenoaks, Kent Licensees: Charmain & Steven Powell MP: Laura Trott At the start of lockdown and the height of panic buying, the team at the Portobello were concerned about the possible impact on local elderly and vulnerable, who might not have enough food to eat. Licensees Charmain and Steven Powell decided to make use of stock they had in the kitchen and put a message out to the community offering homemade lasagne, making 18 deliveries in the village. Next week, the number increased to 70 meals and as word spread, they appealed for donations of money and food ingredients. Soon, they were delivering two hot meals a day, 2 or 3 times a week, to 100 people. Hearing about the great work the pub was doing, the COOK branch in Sevenoaks offered to help, and this partnership saw the number of meals increase to 170, and include a number of NHS workers. www.facebook.com/theportobelloinnWestKingsdown/

The Horse & Jockey, Melling, Merseyside

The Portsmouth Arms, Hatch Warren, Basingstoke

Licensees: Adam & Suzanne Franklin MP: Bill Esterton Licensees Adam & Suzanne Franklin at Ei pub The Horse & Jockey, cooked and delivered a total of 15,000 free hot meals to vulnerable and shielding local residents, sent out 1,000 care packages, shopped for the community and collected and dropped off medication. They also ran a ‘listening ear' service, calling everyone on their hot meal service to check on them and offer a chat. In all of this, they were helped by a band of 50 volunteers, who came forward within hours of an appeal from Suzanne. After the end of the first lockdown, the pub created a permanent community kitchen to continue helping those in need.

Licensee: Rich Curtis MP: Maria Miller Rich Curtis, GM at this Hall & Woodhouse pub, launched a virtual pub quiz on Facebook Live at the end of March 2020, as a way of bringing a pub experience to locked down customers in their homes. The response was enthusiastic and soon the quiz was running twice a day: a familyfriendly one at 5.00 pm - staged with help from Rich's 9-year-old son Oliver - and one for adults at 8.00. Participants could join for free, but were asked to make a donation to a charity, chosen by the pub and changing every week. Within a few weeks, the quizzes had raised more than £9,000 for charity and had more than 100, 000 views, not just from the UK but globally. Every week, Rich came up with a new theme for the quiz to keep it fresh, and had a few star guests. In May, Rich broke the Guinness World Record for the world's longest quiz master session, achieving a 34-hour and 11-minute quiz which raised more than £21,000 for The Pink Place Cancer Charity in Basingstoke. In total, the Portsmouth Arms quizzes have raised close to £50,000 for charities.

www.jockeymelling.com

The Mowden, Darlington Licensees: Simon & Rachel Leadbetter MP: Peter Gibson

www.portsmoutharmshatchwarren.co.uk/

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CLH Digital

Technology and Software

Issue 49

Technology is the Foundation of Hospitality’s Revival Over the last year, we have seen advances in technology that would normally have taken months, if not years, to develop, test, trial and implement. But the flexibility and dexterity that has helped hospitality operators to adjust their way of working to meet changing restrictions, often at short notice, highlights the importance of technology in a modern hospitality venue and why it is no longer an optional extra.

Henry Seddon, Managing Director of Access Hospitality, offers his thoughts on how technology can support hospitality businesses as they prepare to rebuild trade in 2021.

INTEGRATION, INTEGRATION, INTEGRATION The most important piece of advice I can give anyone who is reviewing how technology fits in their business is that the best solutions are those that integrate across many applications rather than being stand-alone. An EPoS system that integrates with order ahead, delivery, table reservation, payment, marketing, loyalty and engagement apps, for example, will simplify all stages of the operations process and provide a seamless customer journey. When trading guidelines have changed at short notice – reducing capacity, advance booking, table service only, contactless payments – integrated technology has enabled operators to adapt quickly and effectively. Access EPoS has at least 64 integrations available, enabling frictionless interaction and greatly enhancing the scope and power of the overall system, and this has provided access to implement reactive solutions, such as the addition of test and trace data to existing reservation technology.

Integration delivers streamlined interaction that increases efficiency across the business operation, reducing admin time so that staff can reassign their time and skills more productively elsewhere. The resulting commercial reports are more comprehensive and have rich data to enable effective analysis and a deeper understanding of what is happening at every level of the business.

A FLEXIBLE AND SCALABLE EPOS SYSTEM

With so much uncertainty in the sector, flexibility and the option to scale an EPOS system are vital. Whilst an off the shelf solution might be the best choice for a start-up business, or one without significant growth ambitions, it could restrict business agility and future expansion as trading restrictions are eased. Proven technology that responds to changing needs drives efficiencies and provides exceptional guest experiences from one trusted source, which has never been more important than a time when there is no margin for error on revenue, costs and customer service.

SINGLE SIGN-ON Technology should simplify an operation and improve the work routine, not make it more complicated. As integration increases, so does the value of running solutions with a single sign on, with information displayed on a personalised dashboard instead of having to work across several different screens. Access Workspace enables customers to access different technology solutions in one place rather than having to sign in on numerous systems, transforming productivity and engagement. The seamless interaction reduces time spent on input and data interrogation, providing a frictionless way of working and immediate access to the right information.

aged service which handles the process for hospitality operators, providing expertise and easing pressure where the property management staff are still furloughed or the business is running at reduced capacity, with no-one having overall control for this function.

FUTURE TECHNOLOGY Technology will continue to evolve quickly but two areas are likely to drive the next round of development and impact. ‘Big data’ describes extremely large sets of data coming into a business daily and includes venue performance, spend per head and customer satisfaction.

Consolidation and analysis to drive decision making can be time consuming and confusing but the introduction of a single platform to serve data from all hospitality technology will deliver significant benefits in accuracy, efficiency and cost savings.

Another area will see technology help in the challenge of reducing waste which is a focus from a cost and sustainability perspective.

Tracking food returned or thrown away will contribute to regulating portion control and minimising waste, taking business into 2021 with cost control and environmental at front of mind.

ACCELERATION OF CONTACTLESS OPTIONS Having seen steady growth over the last couple of years, the move to contactless payments has been accelerated significantly in the last nine months, as everyone recognised the threat of infection from handling cash. The use of payment apps will continue as customers look for a convenient and secure way of managing their finances, particularly if their disposable income has been impacted during the pandemic, and they are now recognising that one solution for order and pay at table is more convenient than downloading a series of apps for different operators. Once again, integration becomes a key factor for operators, with Access EPOS integrating with a host of order ahead, delivery and loyalty solutions as well as the main payment apps that customers are turning to.

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Technology has revolutionised facilities management, with automation changing the landscape of compliance obligations, planned and reactive property maintenance. Sourcing suppliers, negotiating costs, checking ongoing works, approving invoices and filing certifications can now be See the advert on this page for further details or visit completed at the press of a button. With so much being possible remotely, there has been a surge in interest in the Access Maintain man- www.theaccessgroup.com/hospitality

Integrated technology to see you through lockdown and beyond Used and trusted by over 1,500 UK hospitality businesses, we help our customers focus on delivering exceptional guest experiences with technology to GULYH RSHUDWLRQDO HɝFLHQFLHV UHGXFH FRVWV LPSURYH *3 DQG GHFUHDVH DGPLQ

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Hospitality Technology & Software Embracing Technology To Open Up New Revenue Streams and Automate Operations Andrew Gibbon, head of growth at ePOS Hybrid (www.eposhybrid.com), the start-up that’s disrupting the hospitality sector with market leading point of sale and payments technology.

From ever-evolving Government guidelines, to forced closures for months at a time, over the last 12-months the hospitality sector has faced countless obstacles. The pandemic resulted in significant changes across the industry, as reducing the level of human contact became essential.

The past year has also led to the digital transformation of the sector being accelerated considerably, with some real shifts in the way many businesses operate.

For small businesses particularly, it has proven that it’s crucial to streamline operations for greater efficiency.

This can substantially increase revenue – and while it has been challenging, some are set to come out of the other side stronger than before. Not only have we seen the way businesses interact with consumers completely shift, but businesses have been forced to pivot for the better, creating new revenue streams and offering customers a new, streamlined experience.

AUTOMATING OPERATIONS FOR GREATER EFFICIENCY AND INCREASED PROFITABILITY

CLH Digital

RESPONDING TO CHANGING GUIDELINES AND PIVOTING TO NEW REVENUE STREAMS As the Government prepared to lockdown the UK due to the pandemic in March 2020, many consumers pivoted further towards the use of delivery services more frequently to order takeaway food and drinks. Data from Statista around this time, uncovered that 60% of 18-24 year olds had already increased the frequency they use delivery services, with 26% confirming they planned to increase their use of delivery services – presenting a great opportunity for hospitality businesses to continue operating via this avenue. With the likes of Deliveroo and Uber Eats now operating in most parts of the UK too, small businesses are now able to outsource deliveries to third parties, to ensure they can still offer that same great hospitality experience without compromising on cost or quality.

Dark kitchens are also on the rise within the delivery space, which are essentially large-scale commercial kitchens without a restaurant or eatery attached.

They’re purely for deliveries and costs to operate come in at around 30% less than traditional premises. In addition to cost savings, other benefits include increased speed and efficiency and better working conditions for employees.

One of the biggest revenue drivers we’ve seen sweep the sector over the past few months has been hospitality businesses offering at-home dining experiences, via the introduction of cook-at-home kits or more traditional takeaway options for customers. Bars and restaurants across the UK have been creating bespoke experiences so that consumers can enjoy their favourite local spot from the comfort of their own home – and the key to running a successful takeaway service is to automate your processes. As with anything in the hospitality sector, timing is everything, with streamlined, efficient processes very much being the key to success. Automating workflows from the point of order to the kitchen, to the delivery driver, will ensure everything runs smoothly, resulting in less stress for your employees and of course an elevated customer experience.

INCREASING EFFICIENCY WITH CONTACTLESS

For this very reason we’ve seen multi-functional ePOS systems grow in popularity in recent months, due to the fact they improve workflows, increase the speed of service and minimise the chances of human error. By implementing one single platform, which controls and integrates everything from point-of-sale and online ordering to delivery management and stock control, businesses can gain greater control over how they run their business and interact with their customers.

There’s no doubt the hospitality sector has had a challenging time. However, it’s clear the industry is incredibly resilient and, thanks to the advancement of new technologies, which many operators have already started to adopt, we have seen automation significantly improve operations. Not only has this resulted in greater efficiency and improvements to the customer experience, but also increased profitability – which will contribute heavily to the recovery of the industry.

The pandemic highlighted a real gap in the market when it came to contactless technology, as reducing human contact became a priority across the board.

Now customers can order from their phone straight to their table using an app or a QR code, while paying the bill there and then. Not only has this helped to significantly reduce the need for human contact within certain processes, but it enables employees to focus more on creating the best experience possible for consumers. This has been incredibly valuable in recent months and ultimately reduces wait times, streamlines workflow and takes the pressure off employees already trying to navigate countless changes in the way the business operates.

ConnectSmart from QSR ®

QSR Automations, the leading provider of kitchen automation, guest management, off-premise technology, and predictive analytics, announced the launch of the ConnectSmart Platform. This move strengthens and simplifies company and product offerings.

Future-Proof Y Future-Proof Your our Oper ations with an Operations In tegrated Pla tform Integrated Platform KITCHEN KITCHEN AUT AUTOMATION OMATION GUEST M MANAGEMENT ANAGEMENT OFF-PREMISE TECHNOL TECHNOLOGY OGY PREDIC TIVE ANALYTICS ANAL LYTICS PREDICTIVE

The platform effectively combines QSR Automations’ software suite into a single platform: • ConnectSmart Kitchen, industry-leading kitchen display system • ConnectSmart Go, an off-premise order management system • ConnectSmart Host (formerly DineTime), a guest experience, reservation and table management solution • ConnectSmart Insights, a business intelligence tool • ConnectSmart ControlPoint, hardware management software • ConnectSmart Recipes (formerly TeamAssist), a kitchen-integrated recipe viewer By connecting the back end and integrating these solutions into one operational platform, operators can work with a solution that shares data from all its components and make holistic restaurant decisions in real-time.

Flexible APIs and robust integrations allow operators to tailor the platform to their specific needs and focus on

Issue 49

what’s most important — the guest experience.

“Removing the barriers between products on the back end to create the ConnectSmart Platform architecture demonstrates how our software has advanced from individual product offerings to a connected operational platform. This move is a logical progression based on an industry that’s progressing just as rapidly.

The pandemic accelerated what we already knew, connectivity and operational data are paramount for operational success. The platform will allow providers to make strategic, data-driven decisions that will ultimately deliver tailored guest experiences for their diners,” said QSR Automations Founder and CEO Lee Leet.

Restaurant owners and operators can learn more about the ConnectSmart Platform at www.qsrautomations.com

What can the ConnectSmar ConnectSmartt® platform your restaurant? do for your Learn more more at:

www www.qsrautomations.com/overview .qsrautomations.com/overview

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CLH Digital

Hospitality Technology and Software

Issue 49

The Important Role Technology Will Play in the Hospitality and Catering Industry Post-Covid

By Maxwell Harding, Founder and CEO Dynamify (www.dynamify.com), a complete digital platform that enables users to pre-order and schedule pick-up times or delivery from food outlets Since the PM’s roadmap out of lockdown was announced, many hospitality venues have been considering when and how best to open in order to meet regulations while generating enough revenue to feasibly operate. Maxwell Harding, Founder and CEO of Dynamify, shares his thoughts on how technology will play a vital role in the reopening of the hospitality and catering industry post-lockdown. Highlighting how digitised approaches to catering will not only benefit customers but ensure businesses can operate efficiently and cost-effectively.

UTILISING TECHNOLOGY THAT’S READILY AVAILABLE During 2020, many hospitality venues were quick to adapt and find new ways to serve customers in a contactless way, including click & collect takeaways and QR codes to order, so there’s an argument that Covid-19 has already aided the industry to digitise. However, there are further steps that can be taken in the adoption of technology to maximise profit by utilising software available, including white labelled apps.

Digitising operations doesn’t need to be expensive. The industry has been relatively slow to implement technology, partly because of a misconception that it’s costly and tricky to implement, but also because status quo bias inhibited rapid adoption and adaptation - until Covid-19 took away the option not to innovate. Since launching the Dynamify platform in 2015, we’ve worked closely with hospitality and catering outlets to create a seamless, easy-to-use mobile app that venues can reskin in their branding and then ‘rent’, this is known as ‘Software as a Service’. They require no upkeep, software management or development by the establishment. It’s this type of readily available, plug-and-play technology that the industry must consider in order to future-proof operations and stay ahead of the curve.

REDUCE COSTS TO MATCH A STREAMLINED RETURN TO ‘NORMAL’ The roadmap out of the third national lockdown has shown us that the catering industry will not simply pick up from where it left off in March 2020. The challenges of the past year, coupled with the need to operate in some instances at half capacity to comply with social distancing measures, means many in the industry will be easing back into business with a leaner workforce and a need for more streamlined operations.

Fortunately, readily available automation technology helps hospitality and catering venues to successfully run leaner operations, mainly by cutting capital and operating expenses by up to 50% but also by working out of a centralised kitchen servicing numerous nearby sites.

With automation, there are options to digitise everything in one platform. Apps enable customers to preorder, make reservations, and pay contactlessly. Not only does this help to relieve time-poor staff, it eliminates

physical queues and shared touchpoints, an important element for venues post-Covid. For businesses, the software offers insight and quick-access data. By tracking orders and managing produce, venues can plan resource and product supply more effectively, reducing waste and saving costs leading to greater sustainability, both environmentally and economically.

Insight into customer purchases is another great way to introduce loyalty and subscription schemes and create targeted and successful marketing campaigns. In turn this will increase repeat custom and entice new clientele, while reducing costs and time spent on ineffective, ill-informed marketing campaigns.

HOW TECH IS ALREADY HELPING THE INDUSTRY TO CHANGE AND ADAPT The uptake and implementation of technology in hospitality and catering, which we projected to take five years, has taken less than one- accelerated by the urgent need to remove touchpoints and crowding throughout the pandemic.

Technology has been a lifeline for many hospitality venues over the last year, as apps have helped independent businesses offer click & collect and deliveries, enabling them to compete with large high street chains as well as globally renowned takeaway apps.

Another example of how essential technology has been to the continued running of the catering industry over the last year, can be seen through the exponential increase in the deployment of smart food lockers.

These app-access food storage facilities have enabled caterers to continue serving fresh food even after the kitchens and canteens close, while users can pre-order, schedule, pay and collect contactlessly through their mobile phones. At Dynamify, we’ve successfully activated food lockers in various organisations where staff work night shifts, including pharma companies behind the vaccines and in hospitals, meaning frontline workers can access nutritious, fresh food around the clock without queuing.

While food lockers won’t be the norm in every day hospitality outlets, nor will they completely replace traditional restaurant pick-up, they will change the way restaurants with 24/7 customers operate. And learnings from these will likely influence the use of technology in the wider industry over the coming years.

Automation is the key to ensuring the future sustainability of the hospitality industry as it addresses and helps businesses overcome every day challenges - both those identified pre-Covid and, even more paramount, as a result of it. There is a misconception that automation will replace jobs. This is not the case. Utilised properly, automation software can take care of time consuming, mundane and administrative tasks, freeing up time for the customer to enjoy the experience (i.e. the food and atmosphere) and for the staff to focus on additional value-add jobs.

Due to the imminent opening of the hospitality industry, and the essential requirement to operate in accordance with guidelines to ensure safe operations, there is no better time than now for the hospitality industry to embrace it. Furthermore, it’s imperative that the industry recognises that consumers will now expect automated, contactless technology, so hospitality venues risk losing customers if they’re not willing to keep pace.

For further information about Dynamify: www.dynamify.com

Invest in the Right POS Solutions to Get You Through Reopening and Beyond The COVID19 pandemic has seen hospitality ventures in particular desperately searching for simple solutions easy to implement with the impending time crunch to address a set of stringent guidelines introduced by the Government. Keen to abide by social distancing rules, business owners are looking for ways to give their customers the peace of mind to continue purchase from their stores in-person and out with many turning to new tech to keep their businesses afloat.

Adopting a bespoke point-of-sale system (POS) is becoming an increasingly popular choice in light of their offering; features to boost performance through faster transactions, expansive data collection and live stock count – an especially useful component to address and respond to unexpected spikes and drops in demand during an unpre-

dictable climate.

Opting for a click & collect service like Goodeats offered by Goodtill has been the perfect example of innovation in the hospitality

industry as an answer to COVID-security and beyond with its pivoting feature enabling table ordering solutions when dining-in becomes an option once again. Today, a POS system integrated with a click & collect service has become an essential and is no longer limited to giant retailers but accessible to smaller ventures to help diversify revenue streams. Access to these kinds of value-add services promotes customer loyalty even in trying times.

Many of these systems were initially deemed as temporary solutions to stay in business during the COVID-crises, but the staggering uptake in interest and usage of POS solutions are altering the hospitality sector from the ground up. We now see such software playing a key role within the service industry, providing establishments a stronger offering over their competitors. Businesses that have acquired a click & collect service are well-placed to satisfy potential future restrictions when partnered with contactless payment and pickup alongside a dedicated POS software introducing affordable automation to business operations.

See the advert on the facing page for details.

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CLH Digital

Cleaning, Hygiene and Infection Control Issue 49

MAG Launches Ozone Generator Proven To Kill Covid–19 The Hospitality Sector Needs To Heed New Cleaning Techniques Are your rooms 100% free of germs and smells? Clean, fresh air has never been more important and ozone is being used in hotels across the world as a new safety standard for infection control.

The MAG Ozone Generator emits ozone through the air to sanitise surfaces and kill bacteria and viruses including Covid–19. Proven to eliminate SARS coronavirus, norovirus, E.coli, salmonella and more than 99% of harmful bacteria and viruses, ozone is recognised as the strongest and fastest method of destroying microorganisms.

With cycle times as quick as 15 minutes the MAG Ozone Generator is the quick

& easy way to sanitise any indoor environment including hotel rooms, offices, toilets, canteens, storage areas and more. Ozone is also extremely effective at removing unwanted smells from rooms. Rather than masking unpleasant odours with air fresheners and chemicals you can permanently remove smells with the MAG Ozone Generator.

Available for less than £5.00 per day MAG Ozone Generators can be purchased outright or paid for monthly via lease or rental. Likewise MAG Equipment Ltd supplies and services all leading brands of commercial washing machines, tumble dryers and ironers should you require any assistance.

Get in touch for your free demo or trial on 01422 244733.

With hotels, restaurants and cafés all due to reopen to the public, establishing a thorough cleaning regime is crucial for the safe return of guests. The HoReCa sector has seen one of the biggest upheavals in its practices since the pandemic began; closing its doors, furloughing staff and installing new safety equipment and ongoing cleaning procedures to kill all virus’ whilst providing a safe environment for both customers and staff.

Cardiff-based Genesis Biosciences has developed a unique anti-microbial, surface sanitiser that is proven to be effective against Covid-19 and is free from any harmful chemicals.

Genesis’ Sanitiser – part of its Evogen Professional range – delivers safe, high performance cleaning and dis-

infection of all types of hard surfaces. The utilisation of natural, biodegradable active ingredients offers an ecobenign alternative to many of the harsh chemicals commonly used for sanitisation.

Genesis Biosciences is one of the few companies in the UK to have gone through rigorous external antiviral testing to validate its surface sanitiser’s effectiveness against all enveloped viruses, including COVID-19 and other coronaviruses. The sanitiser is available 1,000L IBC, 200L, 20L, 5L and 500ml concentrates offering a cost effective and environmentally responsible anti-viral solution for all applications.

To find out more about the Evogen Professional cleaning range, or to purchase direct, visit www.evogenprofessional.com.

Cleaning, Hygiene and Infection Control Issue 49

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Give Patrons Peace of Mind with an Air Purifier A new YouGov survey has revealed that customers would be more confident visiting hospitality venues that use air purifiers. Leading global air purifier experts Blueair, make units using unique HepaSilent technology that removes 99.97% of airborne pollutants It may be shocking to learn that indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air . A new YouGov survey, commissioned by Swedish global air purification experts Blueair, has recently revealed the UK’s thoughts on visiting hospitality venues during this unprecedented time, and the results demon-

strate a clear trend for increased confidence in hospitality venues such as hotels and restaurants with an air purifier. The results showed: • Two in five adults (41%) said they would be more likely to visit a restaurant with an air purifier installed.

• 40% of people would be more likely to head to a café while 39% would stay in a hotel that offered purified air to its guests.

• 36% are more likely toa visit to a pub if an air purifier is in use There’s no doubt that purifying indoor air will give

consumers more confidence about heading out to their favourite hospitality venue. As well as removing bacteria and viruses , an air purifier can help with allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems.

Thanks to its HEPASilent™ technology, Blueair air purifiers remove at least 99.97% of dust and harmful particulate matter as small as 0.1 microns in size, to create a safer environment for all those visiting and working in the venue.

Contact Blueair to discuss air purifiers for your hospitality venue: michael.westin@blueair.se

Sundeala SD Safety Screens and Sundeala Safe Push Door Plates Sundeala have been manufacturing in the UK since 1898 and we are now proud to offer a wide range of products to help you create physical partitions and keep environments hygienic and safe.

Our Sundeala FR Safe Push Door Plates are 100% coronavirus free in 5 minutes and are designed to be attached to doors with no-screw fixings making them easy to remove after use. Safe Push Door Plates require no cleaning and are fantastic for reducing the spread of viruses from high touch door surfaces.

Available in 7 subtle shades, we can create bespoke sizes to fit any door and supply each pack of Door Plates with adhesive tabs to ensure easy installation.

Our Sundeala SD Safety Screen is an environmentally friendly safety screen, perfect for encouraging social distancing in high foot fall environments to help prevent viral spread via droplets or aerosolisation.

Sundeala SD Safety Screens are made from 100% recycled paper fibres and are highly porous as well as being extremely durable and robust. They are a practical, environmentally friendly way to assist with social distancing and can be pinned with informational and/or decorative

posters, signs and paper.

Many products in our Covid Compliance range including Safe Push Door Panels and SD Safety Screens are made using our Sundeala FR Board.

After undergoing ISO 17025 compliant laboratory testing we are delighted to reveal that our Sundeala FR Board (used extensively in circulation spaces, corridors and other high-footfall areas) is shown to be 100% safe from viral transmission from contact with the surface and 100% coronavirus free throughout after 5 minutes of infection, making it completely safe to touch, cut, sand and recycle.

Sundeala FR Board is manufactured in the UK from UK waste materials. There are no imported carbon emissions and our process is zero waste with any 'seconds' or offcuts going directly back into the machine. We do not use any VOCs during the manufacturing process so there are no harmful chemicals that might leech into the air. Sundeala notice boards protect the environment outside while improving the environment inside.

Along with being 100% recycled and 100% recyclable in the UK, our FR board is fire rated to BS EN 1350101 Class B meaning it is inherently fire retardant, unbeatably durable and proudly British.

For any more information or to find out how we can safeguard your spaces, contact our sales team on 01453 708689 / enquiries@sundeala.co.uk

High performing air purifiers The Blueair Blue Pure 411 is the air purifier of choice for the Page 8 Hotel in London. It is a Which? Best Buy as well as Good Housekeeping Institute and Quiet Mark approved. With HEPASilent™ technology that removes at least 99.97% of all airborne particles as small as 0.1 micron in size, including pollen, smoke, dust, mould, spores, virus, bacteria, pet allergens and micro-plastics, alongside app connectivity, it couldn’t be easier to improve the air quality in your hospitality facility with Blueair.

Asthma & Allergy Nordic certified.

Learn more at www.blueair.com

✶ ★★★★★

Winner BEST CLEANING PRODUCT

UK

APP

02 ROVED 2

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Issue 49

Outdoor Spaces

Café Culture - Pavement Profit

We are an independent supplier serving the outdoor restaurant trade with supplies for outdoor seating areas. We have some large clients including Gondola group along with many smaller cafe bars, restaurants and public houses.

made menu holders, waiter stations and planters all to you requirement. If we can help you do drop a line to sales@cafeculture.biz

We design and manufacturer our own windbreaks and use the best materials available. For anyone looking long term that saves you money as you won’t be replacing cheap internet imports next season. It’s one area where it doesn’t pay to buy budget as the continual bumps and scrapes outdoor goods receive combined with the harsh British climate really needs something tough enough for the job.

We also supply Markilux awning which are some of the best made in the industry and Uhlmann parasols another top rated German brand.

Bespoke goods are also a speciality with custom

CambridgeStyle Canopies Our product range includes:

CambridgeStyle Canopies have an enviable reputation in the hospitality sector for providing shade and shelter solutions for pubs, hotels and restaurants across the UK. We specialise in offering the right covering solutions to maximise your useable outdoor space with our range of made-to-measure aluminium outdoor canopy systems.

• Wall mounted non-fragile or glass roof canopies with up to 6m projection and unlimited length • Free standing canopies with up to 12m projection and unlimited length • Solisysteme Bio Climatic Pergolas with the latest Somfy technology and up to 7.1m post span • Zip Screens and Sliding Glass doors • Heating and lighting upgrades for all canopy systems Contact us to discuss your needs and arrange a site survey so we can help identify the right solution for your business. We have all the necessary accreditations within the construction sector and provide a no quibble 10-year guarantee on all products to give you peace of mind. Together we can help get business going again!

Emails office@cambridgestyle.org or visit www.cambridgestylecanopies.co.uk

CambridgeStyle Canopies have an enviable reputation in the hospitality sector for providing shade and shelter solutions for pubs, hotels and restaurants across the UK. We specialise in offering the right covering solutions to maximise your useable outdoor space with our range of madeto-measure aluminium outdoor canopy systems.

Our product range includes:

• Wall mounted non-fragile or glass roof canopies with up to 6m projection and unlimited length • Free standing canopies with up to 12m projection and unlimited length • SoliSySteme Bio Climatic Pergolas with the latest Somfy technology and up to 7.1m post span • Zip Screens and Sliding Glass doors • Heating and lighting upgrades for all canopy systems

Contact us to discuss your needs and arrange a site survey so we can help identify the right solution for your business. We have all the necessary accreditations within the construction sector and provide a no quibble 10-year guarantee on all products to give you peace of mind. Together we can help get business going again!

CambridgeStyle Canopies Ltd 01353 699009 | office@cambridgestyle.org | www.cambridgestylecanopies.co.uk “WE’VE GOT IT COVERED - NOBODY DOES IT BETTER”

Previous Clients Include:

Outdoor Spaces

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Outdoor Events to Reengage Customers

Written by Rebecca Brennan-Brown

With the opening day for pubs approaching closer and closer, we can almost taste the excitement felt by many to go back to beer gardens with their friends. In my experience of events and hospitality, we will see some people flood back, craving to get their summer Aperol spritz, but others will be more cautious. But if sufficient social distancing measures are in place and safety is prioritised, how can we encourage those more cautious customers to return?

Holding an outdoor function creates an incentive for customers to attend and spend. Having outside space is an enormous advantage right now, as we know the infection rates significantly reduce outside. So how can you safely use your outdoor space for social events over the next few months?

BEER FESTIVALS Providing you have the right contacts to obtain traders, a beer festival is a great way to draw in customers. The weather need not be an issue; gazebos will solve that problem. A socially distanced beer festival will look different from usual, a reoccurring theme across all areas of hospitality. Consider asking customers to order from their tables rather than

queuing for a drink to manage social distancing.

small cost.

MUSIC

WEDDINGS

It’s been months since anyone has seen music live. Many people are absolutely gutted that all of their festivals, gigs and open nights have been cancelled or rescheduled. Creating a mini socially distanced festival using your outdoor space could be a great way to entice music fans.

Plus, it’s been so long since musicians have had any live jobs, they’ll jump at the change to play again.

Many couples have cancelled weddings due to COVID, and are therefor getting married with fewer family and friends around. It isn’t currently legal to get married outside in the UK, but you can offer your outside space as a place to celebrate a couple’s wedding with their family and friends safely.

Outdoor Film Nights Projector screens, blankets, warm drinks and food. Doesn’t that sound cosy? An abundance of outdoor cinemas are opening, but some people are concerned about being in such large groups of people. Smaller films nights will make those people feel more comfortable. The equipment is easy to come by, so tells guests to bring blankets, and make sure you have the hot chocolates ready.

BINGO Bingo is no longer just for pensioners. Since lockdown began, we’ve seen all ages suddenly take up bingo. With the addition of drag queen callers and attractive prizes, bingo can be an entertaining event. Again, the equipment isn’t difficult to come by; there are many callers online.

Plus, as this is an activity which takes place seated, it’s easier to keep people apart.

SILENT DISCO Clubs and bars will be closed for some time, so why not bring a safe version of this to your outdoor space? If you can find a suitable way of sectioning off your space so customers can be socially distanced, this is a great option. Silent disco kits are easy to come by and can be hired for a

Seating with Wider Appeal from ILF

FOODFEST Again focussing on the elements people have lacked over the past few months, many are craving restaurant meals. With smart but straightforward technology such as QR codes, ordering food from a variety of different vendors while remaining safe is easy. Consider theming your food fest to a particular cuisine, maybe you have an Asian food-themed day and invite street food vendors from your local area.

Owners and managers have the difficult task of managing alcohol intake, knowing that social distancing and safety measures are likely to slip as people have more to drink. Tokens or limits should be considered, with managers using their discretion on safe contact.

With all of these suggestions, it’s paramount that the marketing of such events is right. The hospitality industry has a huge challenge ahead to shift the attitudes of customers, as many people will still be concerned about safety. By addressing those concerns from the forefront, we can make customers feel comfortable in the knowledge that social distancing has been adhered to, and their safety is the paramount concern.

For more information, pase contact Rebecca Brennan-Brown LTD Website: www.byrbb.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byrebeccabrennanbrown

Hospitality has now got the Green light last to re-open outdoors from the 12th April. Will you be ready and able to cope with the rush? Will your Café, Restaurant, bar have the right outdoor ambience and comfort to stand out from the rest and make your customers want to come back?

quickly from either our UK location or our European location. We have selections of seating in aluminium, resin, plastic, polycarbonate, teak and imitation rattan plus, there are also tables and barstools for exterior use.

Never fear, ILF Ltd. have the solution with a comprehensive selection of outdoor chairs and tables in many finishes and colours which we are able to supply

Why not contact us on 01293 783783 or send an email to:terry.kirk@ilfchairs.com

Whatever your outdoor furniture needs might be we at ILF are here to help.

Making the most of your outdoor areas with Tempus solutions The Manhat Manhattan tan P Pergola ergola fr from om T Tempus empuss is a simple and cost effective effective w way ay of e xtending the comf or t of your your indoor spaces int o yyour our outdoor patios extending comfort into patios..

from as little as

£1,40 0

• A vailable with or without rretractable etractable sides ffor or wind shielding Available • Quic k and eas y tto o use louv ered rroof oof kkeeps eeps out the rrain ain and lets in the sunshine Quick easy louvered • Lighting and heating pac ks mak e the shelt ered spaces usab le all yyear ear rround ound – what ever the w eather packs make sheltered usable whatever weather • F ull ffitting itting ser vice a vailable thr ough pr oduct tr ained Contr act F urniture Gr oup inst allation tteam eam Full service available through product trained Contract Furniture Group installation A wide range of complementar y outdoor heating, lighting and fur niture is available to view on our website. complementary furniture

Never knowingly beaten on price!

Contract tract House, Little T Tennis e ennis Str Street eet South, Nottingham NG2 4EU

0115 965 9030 info@contractfurniture.co.uk 0115 info@contractfurniturre.co.uk www .contractfurniture.co.uk www.contractfurniture.co.uk

FOLLOW FOLL OW US

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Issue 49

Design and Refit

GLOBAL ART For Your Refurbishment

With over 35 years of experience, Global Art Gallery offers artworks by a number of diverse artists and pieces from selected private collections from around the world.

p

p

You won't find lots of prints in expensive frames at Global just lots of original art at realistic prices.

Further information is available from James Hartey on 07894 555107 or www.globalartinternational.co.uk

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Add High Quality Art to Your Business with Global

When considering the refurbishment or presentation of your venue it may be a wise move to look at some pieces of quality art to give a feeling of class and prestige to your business image.

Hotels, offices, restaurants and pubs can benefit aesthetically and financially from investing in quality original art which is both unique and profitable.

GLOBAL ART Acquisitions and Investments Ltd are based above the Antiques centre at the Bridge House Longham BH22 9AN. We have an extensive selection of unique art available for the discerning client with prestigious premises and customers.

GLOBAL ART is also the home of

the world’s number 1 reformed art forger BILLY MUMFORD’S collection. Billy put £6 Million pounds worth of forgeries through the major auction houses of the world before spending 2 years at her Majesty’s pleasure in Brixton and Ford prisons.

Art is now the number 1 financial asset and retains it’s value better than other asset classes so that you can appreciate your art as your art appreciates.

Take time to come over and visit us Thursday to Sunday 10 till 4 and see what a fantastic selection of works we can offer, you won’t be disappointed or Telephone James Hartey on 07894555107 or visit www.globalartinternational.co.uk

Square One Interiors

Starting out in his garden shed, Jamie never thought that his new range of reclaimed furniture would become as successful as it has over the past 2 years.

Having had a history in design and furniture design, an idea was born and he decided to run with it. He loved the idea of a rustic looking, industrial range which was

also eco friendly and sustainable. He soon found that a modern twist was also achievable, by using bright colours on the steel frames, as well as several different wood finishes which would compliment the overall design.

Making furniture from scratch also had its benefits, as Jamie soon found that businesses would approach him with specific needs and requirements, meaning that he was able to provide a fully bespoke service, as well as offering design and advice.

Since his humble beginnings in the garden shed, Jamie and the company have now work with hospitality operators, pubs, bars and hotels, as well as some large contract furniture companies and high street names. Our portfolio and workforce are growing and we are very excited to be working on some fantastic projects moving forwards, so watch this space!

For more information visit www.squareoneinteriors.co.uk

Design and Refit

Engraved Table Numbers and QR Discs Facilitate Social Distancing as Pubs and Restaurants Re-Open The hospitality sector will soon be reopening its doors after the long lock down faced with a major challenge to maintain social distancing. Brunel Engraving, one of the country’s leading commercial and industrial engraving specialists, has been working on to kick start the industry.

Brunel has made a substantial investment in additional state of the art engraving equipment in order to produce individually etched table numbers and QR code discs which will provide clear markings and information for the public in order to satisfy the requirement for social distancing.

The individually engraved table numbers and discs will enable customers to link to Apps or menus, reducing staff contact and eliminating the requirement for hard copies of menus.

“We are working hard to keep the British hospitality industry going through these difficult times and we have invested heavily in new equipment to ensure that we can answer the increasing demand for our engraved products”, said Martyn Wright, managing director of Brunel

Engraving and founder of the company.

“Many pubs and restaurants have been undertaking major renovations during the lockdown period and we have assisted with their efforts to maintain social distancing by supplying table numbers, QR code discs, signage, PPE Visors and distancing floor stencils which will be used in the new public areas as businesses open their doors to the public once again.”

Established over 30 years ago, Brunel Engraving is a pioneering engraving specialist which leads the way in technical innovation. The company has ISO9001 accreditation and its highly skilled team of professional engravers is trained to the highest standards in the UK. In addition to rotary engraving Brunel offers laser engraving, chemical etching, anodic print, dye sublimation print, flatbed UV print and wide format UV print.

For further information please contact: Tel: 01275 871720 Email: info@brunelengraving.co.uk Website: www.brunelengraving.co.uk

CardsSafe - Protecting Assets ®

The CardsSafe® system is specifically designed to securely retain customer credit, debit and ID cards while the cardholder runs a tab or uses a service.

CardsSafe® has revolutionised the way hospitality and leisure businesses manage their assets. It protects against theft and walkouts, streamlines services and reduces losses, which means it pays for itself!

There are numerous benefits of using CardsSafe® for your business and over 5000 outlets in the UK agree!

• CardsSafe® reduce costs and losses, makes card fraud is virtually impossible and ensures that equipment is returned • CardsSafe® is affordable and pays for itself! From just £9.95 (net) per unit per

month + a one off admin charge.

• CardsSafe® ensures peace of mind and protects against fraud and theft • CardsSafe® increases staff trust and improves the work environment • CardsSafe® is easy to use with minimal training and quick to install • CardsSafe® is PCI & GDPR Compliant to standards 9.6, 9.9, 12.2 and 12.6 and protects card data from identity fraud and theft Please visit our website and create your own account quickly and securely. Or for more information, please contact the CardsSafe Customer Service Team.

WEB: www.cardssafe.com, Phone: 0845 500 1040 Email: sales@cardssafe.com

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Issue 49

Design and Refit

Drakes Bar Furniture - UK Bar Furniture Supplier

We pride ourselves in providing the best quality items at great prices with fantastic customer service and can supply bespoke tailored made furniture such as booths, tables, seating or ‘off the peg’ items.

Drakes Bar Furniture not only sell chairs, stools, tables we also design build and install all types of fixed seating, pews and booth seating for pubs, clubs, bars, restaurants and clubs.

When fitting out a premise the seating is almost paramount for a successful space. Fixed seating, booth seating or banquette seating as its also called can come in variety of colours, finishes, types and styles. Below are just a few examples showing what we have done in the past.

With clever planning, seating generates a great flow for customers and

staff around a pub, restaurant, cafe or club. It can be used to divide areas, create new spaces in a room and offer intimacy allowing for the perfect social meet up.

The beauty of bespoke fixed seating is that we can make the most of and take advantage of your space and features. We can come to your venue and measure up, give you advice and show you examples of our past work, finishes, types and styles.

We have a wide range of Bar Furniture, including tables, stools, chairs, outdoor beer garden, fixed seating and banqueting furniture.

If you require a bespoke quote either call us on 01422 839 690 or you can send us an email.

See the advert below for details.

Sims - The First Port Of Call For Banquette Seating

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We are a family run business with 3 generations of commercial furniture manufacturing experience. Unlike other suppliers we manufacture all our seating inhouse, no importing, no subcontracting. We have full control over every aspect from design to installation to ensure every product leaves our workshops punctually and to our reputable high quality.

Proudly offering 2 versions of Banquette Seating, firstly our “Premium Made to Measure” Banquette Seating which is built to your exact design, shape and size, then installed by our professional installation team. You can have anything from floor to ceiling designs to seating that perfectly follows the walls in a period setting.

Secondly our “Modular Banquette Seating” which is freestanding, set size units for you to mix and match to best fit your space. Manufactured and delivered to your doorstep ready for you to layout. Made to the same high standards as our premium range without setup costs, site visits and installation fees. Saving you up to 50% on competitors seating.

Also, we offer a range of furnishings – tables, chair and bedroom furniture. To request a brochure or to discuss your requirement further please contact our sales team on 01945 450957 email Sales@simscf.com Web www.simscf.com

Design and Refit How Hotels Can Really Profit From Sustainability Hotels are continually fighting with their competition to offer the most affordable rates, the best amenities, and the most outstanding guest services — all while making a profit. Now more than ever green, or sustainable tourism is becoming a deciding factor when choosing a holiday. For the hotel industry this means achieving a sustainable business model that can offer considerable marketing advantage. But what if we took this activity and reclaimed valuable indoor space to provide for additional or larger rooms, or extend dining space?

And what if you could also improve building services and reduce operational costs?

From boutique to national chains,

Issue 49

CLH Digital

Adveco specialises in creating bespoke hot water and heating applications for the hotel industry that leverages all the advantages of renewable technologies, from air source heat pumps, and solar thermal to heat recovery.

We can also smartly combine these with existing gasfired systems or new all electric appliances to drive sustainability and greater efficiency to support improved guest amenities while reducing both CO emissions and operational costs. This can all be brought together in prefabricated structures that relocate heating and hot water plant to ‘dead spaces’ such as yards, alleys and in particular roof tops to maximise space and profit. https://systems.adveco.co/

Compact Comfort with Tub Chairs and Small Sofas When creating a convivial space for people to eat, drink and be merry in your bar or café, comfort is key.

However, making the most of the floorspace available is also an important consideration, particularly when social distancing rules still need to be adhered to. Tub chairs and small sofas are the perfect solution as they are stylish and comfortable but won’t overwhelm your space.

Trent Furniture supply a wide variety of tub chairs cleverly designed to provide the comfort of a traditional armchair, whilst taking up significantly less room. The Portobello Tub Chair in

brown faux leather or chic Autumn or Cappuccino upholstery is a perennially popular choice.

Alternatively, the Geneva Tub Chair and Kansas Tub Chair draw on vintage design for a cool and contemporary look.

Trent’s durable and versatile small sofas pair beautifully with our great range of tub chairs. The Cuban Brown Faux Leather Two Seater Sofa delivers in the style stakes and is perfectly in proportion with our chic tub chairs.

To find out more about Trent Furniture’s great-value range of compact furniture including tub chairs starting at just £64.90, please visit www.trentfurniture.co.uk or call 0116 2864 911.

Please Pleasemention mentionthe theCaterer, Caterer,Licensee Licensee&&Hotelier HotelierNews Newswhen whenreplying replyingtotoadvertising advertising

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Products and Services New Cuts to NEW YORK BAR Collection Herald Adds More To The Mix 34

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Issue 49

German glassware manufacturer Stölzle Lausitz has added two new design cuts to its cosmopolitaninspired New York Bar collection. The design language of the collection focuses on elegant understatement in combination with high-quality crystal glasses to create a sophisticated bar atmosphere reminiscent of New York City’s buzzing nightlife. Drawing upon the skylines and

bar culture of New York, the decorative ‘Manhattan’ cut picks up on the upand-coming straight lines of the district of the same name, while ‘Club’, a diagonal cut, gives the glasses a stimulating dynamic. As with the design itself, the brand’s execution of the matt finish has been carefully executed and the lines of the straight ‘Manhattan’ cut and the diagonal ‘Club’ cut take the lead in the eye of those drinking from the glasses, while the clear crystal glass casually corresponds with the opaque cut. Depending on the beverage in the glass and the colour of the drink, the light is playfully refracted along the individual lines, creating a unique point of difference that the eye is naturally drawn to. Made from high-quality, scratch-proof glass and well-weighted for a comfortable hold, hosts are able to easily impress with the premium brilliance of the glass. www.stoelzle-lausitz.com

Simpleas Mince: The UK’s First Retail Meat Substitute Made From 100% Peas The product ticks all the “good” boxes: vegan, glutenfree, high in fibre, high in protein, non-GMO, soy-free.

At a time of growing consumer demand for nonsoya, sustainable meat substitutes, Norfolk company Novo Farina Ltd is launching Simpleas Mince, the UK’s first retail meat substitute made entirely from peas.

In trials, consumers have been excited by the great texture and endless recipe possibilities: Simpleas Mince can be used in family meal favourites including Bolognese sauce, chilli, lasagne and cottage pie. They also responded positively to the single ingredient labelling (100% peas) and the long shelf-life - a bonus for consumers in these times of retail stock uncertainty. Simpleas Mince has a RRP of £3.99 for a 150g pack. It is also available in bulk direct from Novo Farina Ltd. Please email Vicki.Myhill@novofarina.com for more information and pricing. www.simpleasplantbased.co.uk

Hoshizaki Launches Mobile, Self-Serve ‘Beer Station’

Hoshizaki, the world’s leading refrigeration and ice machine manufacturer, is delighted to announce the launch of a mobile, self-serve ‘Beer Station’ which has been developed in conjunction with Victor Manufacturing. The innovative ‘Beer Station’ incorporates Hoshizaki’s new automatic beer dispenser - the BeerMatic Dual Tap DBF-AS65WE – which automatically pours the perfect pint at the push of a button, after payment has been made through an inbuilt system. The unit also includes storage space for a beer keg, CO cylinder and glasses, all in one secure, self-contained mobile unit.

Constructed from durable 430 grade stainless steel,

the powder coated Beer Station is clad with inset stainless steel panels which can have either a vinyl wrap on the outer face or a magnetic wrap which will allow for the branding or theme to be changed periodically.

Lockable hinged doors allow access for servicing of the BeerMatic Dual Tap at the rear of the unit, and for changing empty beer kegs at the lower front of the ‘Beer Station’. As the BeerMatic Dual Tap beer dispenser has an internal chilling system you simply have to connect directly to a standard keg kept at room temperature, so even businesses with limited facilities are able to add freshly poured, chilled pints to their menus. Lockable casters make the Beer Station easy to move and secure once it is in position.

“The ‘Beer Station’ can incorporate a variety of payment systems including Contactless, ApplePay or Credit Cards and couldn’t be easier for customers to use – they simply pay for their drink, place their glass in the holder and press a button. Then a perfectly poured pint or half pint is ready in just 15 seconds.”

For more information on the Beer Station or the BeerMatic Dual Tap, please see www.hoshizaki-europe.com or call 01322 616 900.

JURA - Speciality Coffee

For lovers of speciality coffee, the updated WE8 automatic coffee machine is now even more perfect.

The WE8 now prepares twelve different specialities at the touch of a button. It now offers macchiato, espresso doppio, special coffees and hot water for green tea at the touch of a button. The new fine foam frother is made from the highest quality materials and has a stunning look and feel. Specially designed for the preparation of speciality coffees with milk foam, it makes cappuccino and other beverages with the very best fine textured foam every time.

Recommended maximum daily output 40 cups per day.

innovation and professionalism down to the very last detail. Anywhere where a capacity of up to 150 cups is the order of business, the machine impresses users with its quality, functionality and reliability. Coupled with top performance in every respect, this results in a high tech automatic coffee machine that is ideally tailored to the requirements of hotel breakfasts, restaurants, bars and seminar / conference venues. Recommended maximum daily output 150 cups per day.

Photos WE8 in chrome, GIGA X3 in aluminium.

The GIGA X3c / X3 G2 Visit uk.jura.com or email sales.uk@jura.com for allows JURA to impresfurther information.. sively demonstrate Swiss

FOOD SERVICES SUPPLIER INTRODUCES DISPOSABLE SOUP CUPS, CHICKEN BOXES AND SMOOTHIE CUPS Quality disposables manufacturer and supplier, Herald has launched three new packaging products to meet increased demand from the catering and food to go sectors as the market for take outs increases.

is expecting sales to increase going into 2021.

Other new products include a wider selection of single, double and triple wall cups and a choice of eco sip lids made from CPLA, a renewable material created from plants. These lids complement Herald’s 8 oz, 12 oz and 16 oz hot paper cups, which have long been a market favourite based on quality and price.

For further information on Herald and its products, log on to www.heraldplastic.com or call 0208 507 7900 to order a copy of the new catalogue.

The products consist of 8 oz, 12 oz and 16 oz kraft and white, lined, paper soup cups with lids; small, medium and large paper, recyclable chicken boxes; and 8 oz, 10 oz, 12 oz, 16 oz and 20 oz PET smoothie cups with flat, domed or domed with hole for a straw lids.

Competitively priced, all three lines have already earned themselves a loyal customer base and Herald

The Infusion Solution Hospitality and catering companies looking to provide the most cost-effective service for tea and other infusions can try out the double-patented TEAPY T-4-1 free. Check out TEAPY Ltd’s claims of at least 40% reduction in labour cost and 70% reduction in storage space by obtaining a free trial set from with guidance on how to compare with your existing service(s) for tagged or untagged bags or loose leaf tea, fruit, herbal or other infusions.

tional teapot but with better, visible brew control, then flips and “docks” snugly to the mug as a disposal “tidy”.

A complete TEAPY T-4-1 tea service with TEAPY, mug, teaspoon, milk jug and optional loose leaf infuser can be carried in one hand, or with more sets on a single tray, more safely, than any comparable service. Operators can build their own sets, by matching their own mugs and spoons to the right TEAPY.

With over 3 years proven performance and success in four industry awards, many have called it the biggest invention, or rather two inventions, since the tea bag.

It can also be used with hot chocolate (try mini-marshmallows served in the jug), mulled wine and coffee bags, for example from Taylor’s of York, in fact TEAPY T-4-1 is so good they patented it twice!

The TEAPY mug lid keeps the infusion hot, providing the brewing conditions of a conven-

Visit www,teapy.co.uk or see the advert on page 17.

Proper By SCT

Fabulous Fudge: GLUTEN FREE We not only supply are products pre packed but loose with a free 3L display jar, supplied in a large clip seal bucket for the perfectly free taste every time. which give you an even greater margin.

Proper By SCT is now it its 3rd year supplying the trade/wholesale sectors for shop, camp site, touring sites, bar, hotels, butchers, farm shop and everything else in between.

We now tick more boxes than anyone else in our field.

Proper Pork Crackling: ALLERGEN FREE & KETO Delectable Nuts, Peanuts: VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE & KETO Delectable Nuts, Cashews: VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE

All orders received before 2pm each day are sent out with FEDEX for next day delivery anywhere in the UK with European deliveries on a 3 day service.

Our Proper Pork Crackling has a 6 months BB, Fabulous Fudge 6 Months and our Delectable Nuts 12 months.

Our full range is available to see on our retail website so please call 01202875280 or email trade@sct-sct.com for a trade price list.

Super Quick, Free Range, Super Easy Range Farm Liquid Egg products are ready to use, easy to handle, and provide convenience for those working in foodservice. All products are free range, 100% pasteurised and meet British Lion standards.

Available in Whole Egg, Egg Whites and Yolks, with no product waste or mess - all your eggs in one carton!

Range Farm Free Range Hens are free to roam and forage in the natural environment. Freshly laid, our eggs are processed at our state-ofthe-art facility in Wiltshire and dispatched to customers in our fleet of refrigerated vehicles ensuring they arrive perfect and ready to use.

Range Farm Liquid Egg is sourced from 100% UK based farms so quality and continuity of supply is guaranteed. We are also conscious of our environmental responsibilities so please be assured that our cartons are recyclable.

We provide a range of sizes and packaging according to the needs of our customers, with all Range Farm Liquid Egg products available in pallecons, BIB and cartons. To start cooking with ease and find out how we can meet your requirements, call 01249 732221 or email Adrian.Blyth@stonegate.co.uk See the advert on page 13.

Property and Professional

Issue 49

CLH Digital

35

Property Stand-Offs: What Does The Future Hold For Landlords And Hospitality Operators?

Helena Davies, partner and property litigation specialist at independent law firm Brabners, explores how the latest government extension to the ban on commercial property evictions will affect the industry, and what the future relationship between landlords and hospitality operators could look like.

The pandemic has posed considerable challenges for independent hotels, pubs and restaurants, and as the lockdown restrictions begin to ease, many operators will be planning their future and how they will bounce back once doors re-open. It’s also a moment to reflect on the seismic changes we’ve seen over the last year.

One topic that has dominated the headlines and attracted much debate has been the relationship between tenants and landlords in hospitality. A sizeable financial commitment for hospitality tenants is rent, which is why many eyes in the industry were closely watching to see what strategy the government would adopt when it came to the forfeiture moratorium deadline. While the decision to extend the ban on commercial property evictions to 30 June will bring some short-term relief for the hospitality sector as businesses start to re-open, it does little more than kick the can down the road again without the introduction of any additional support or proposals for repayment measures.

Despite the continued government support to alleviate pressure on

hotels, pubs, bars and restaurants, rent continues to be owed under all commercial leases unless expressly waived by the landlord and, if rent is unpaid, it will accrue interest and be subject to legal proceedings. The unpaid rent bill for commercial tenants is thought to be in the billions already, and this debt pile will only grow over the next quarter, so the hospitality industry could face a day of reckoning if this issue isn’t addressed.

While a large number of tenants have reached various forms of concession agreements with landlords over the last year, many others still face a monumental cliff edge once the moratoriums are lifted.

Government support – both for landlords and tenants - is going to be critical in the bid to preserve the solvency of both parties, which is why a number of tenant groups have been lobbying for fixed deferral periods for arrears payments, and even a compulsory turnover rent for a period.

Landlords too are looking for help where their own financing requires uninterrupted rental income or they are faced with tenants holding CVAs who are prioritising other creditors.

While these issues haven’t yet been directly addressed in the latest government announcement, there is an indication that might change. The government has launched a call for evidence on arrears negotiations, and indicated there could be further intervention such that we could see a phased withdrawal of the current protections and some differentiation between sectors. We can probably expect more developments for the hospitality sector in the weeks and months ahead.

For hospitality operators concerned about their rent arrears, the best approach, and the one encouraged by the government, - if they’ve not done so already - is to speak to their landlord to explain how the pandemic has

affected them and how assistance could save the business’s operations and keep the premises occupied in the long term.

It will be really interesting to see what impact the pandemic has on future commercial leases. No one could have predicted the onset of COVID-19, so many hospitality operators are looking to add new clauses in to lease agreements that will allow for rent concessions if there were to be another lockdown scenario in the future – a move which many landlords are open to discussing. Historically, lease agreements would have factored in rent breaks in the event of a fire, but new pandemic-clauses that factor in major upheaval events are also being built in. This is something for businesses to keep in mind if their tenancy agreement is due for renewal in the coming months.

In every eventuality, negotiation will be vital in maintaining the long-term relationships between hospitality operators and landlords. Many landlords are happy to explore rent concessions should there be another significant disruption to service on the scale of the current pandemic. But as we’ve seen during this lockdown, a number of pubs and restaurants have successfully pivoted their services to become thriving takeaway and click and collect offerings, so the devil will be in the detail for defining what scenario would warrant rent breaks.

The pandemic has marked a sea change for the hospitality sector in many ways. While the coming months may still pose a challenge for hospitality operators, the outlook is increasingly positive as the easing of lockdown restrictions gets underway, with many predicting a ‘roaring twenties’ return to business.

Weekly Figures Analysis & Reporting Service from David Hunter Roxburgh Milkins Help Healthy Fast Food Restaurant Chain David Hunter has been in the business for over 30 years, and with his vast amount of experience has become an expert in ensuring that businesses reach their full financial potential.

For years he’s provided a bespoke Mentoring & Consultancy service to a select few, and he has always provided with that, free-of-charge weekly figures analysis and reporting … yes, weekly.

David has now come up with a way of making his amazing Mentoring & Consultancy service more accessible to the wider market, and for a lower monthly fee.

Instead of being charged for monthly consultancy, you can now access David’s knowledge and expertise via his already-established and very well-used weekly figures reporting system. He will send you weekly reports on how your business is doing and will throw in FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE AT ALL, four half-day

on site Mentoring & Consultancy visits per year (or two full days, depending on location). He will also always be at the end of a phone for you, or email, if you needed him, and he also has access to legal experts as well as a ‘’tried and trusted’’ Bowden Group Alliance colleague who can advise you … again FREE OF CHARGE … on how to save money on your utility bills.

If you have a Pub, Restaurant or Hotel business which is facing financial or operational challenges … why not let David have a look, and help you maximise your full potential. There is no cost to David having a look at your figures, and letting you know what COULD be achieved.

Call David Hunter confidentially on 07831 407984 or on 01628 487613.

THINKING OF SELLING? Contact Contact us ffor or a FREE no obligation obligation v valuation. aluation.

With W ith cconfidence onfidence rreturning eturning market we have tto o the mar ket w e ha ve buyers waiting purchase buy ers w aiting tto o pur chase pubs,, hot hotels, pubs els, guest houses catering businesses.. and ca tering businesses

t. 01392 201262 t. e.. inf info@stonesmith.co.uk e fo@st o@stonesmith.co.uk

www.stonesmith.co.uk www.stonesmith.co.uk THE WEST COUNTRY SPECIALISTS

Roxburgh Milkins are a business law firm with a personal approach.

Recently they have aided Friska, a fresh food company: Company bio: Founded in Bristol but expanding nationally, Friska offers seasonal, ethically sourced fresh food to eat in, take away or for office catering. The company received £3m of investment in 2017 from YFM equity Partners to finance its planned roll out.

Founders: With previous experience in food retail, economics and technology, Ed Brown and Griff Holland have been able to create an exceptional restaurant chain: great, healthy food backed up by impressive proprietary technology to run things efficiently and engage successfully with their customers.

How Roxburgh Milkins helped: Roxburgh Milkins have worked with Ed and Griff since shortly after they

founded Friska in 2009. Since then Roxburgh Milkins have advised them through the various steps of their fund raising - initially funding from friends and family, then angel investment and most recently private equity.

What they say about Roxburgh Milkins: "Working with the team at Roxburgh Milkins was an absolute blast; they also added a great deal of value throughout the whole fund-raising process.

"They are commercially astute, professionally accomplished and extremely personable.

"As a team they are straight forward to work with and pragmatic, which removes a lot of the tit-for-tat that is often associated with legal wrangling towards the end of the deal process."

Visit www.roxburghmilkins.com

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