OPINION
Don’t
GIVE UP!
It’s been a tough two years for anyone in the hospitality business and, despite the pandemic restrictions starting to ease, there continue to be serious challenges for everyone, not only financially but also logistically with staff shortages and supply chain problems, writes PAPA director, Jim Winship. MIXED FORTUNES While market analyst, Peter Backman, recently told members on a PAPA webinar that he was optimistic about things getting better from around springtime, that assumes no further hiccups and it also very much depends upon where you sit in the market. For many of those in city centre sites, hope is pinned on whether office workers return which is, again, not likely to happen much before the spring, and then analysts expect hybrid working to reduce numbers by around 20%. 14
The good news for restaurants is that, according to Peter Backman, there is a pent-up desire amongst consumers for returning to eat out but this, too, is dependent upon inflation not consuming their finances and consumer confidence about meeting up indoors returning. For the delivery and takeaway sector, which many see as having weathered the storms of Covid better than most, there are also challenges ahead as they are facing increasing competition with more restaurants offering
delivery and takeaway services. They have also been hit hard by staff shortages without any support from government as takeaways were excluded from the most recent round of grants. Like the retail sector, hospitality businesses are also faced with increasing government legislation from allergen labelling to curbs on sales of products high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) through promotion and display restrictions. For businesses built around delivery, driver shortages are critical. www.pizzapastamagazine.co.uk
