Our top tips to support local pubs and restaurants post Covid19

As our local pubs and restaurants start to open up, they are facing unprecedented challenges and customers are having a different experience as they start to return to socialising and eating out.

With the introduction of the government-backed Eat Out To Help Out scheme running throughout August, it may seem obvious to rush quickly back to the local pub or your local favourite eaterie to just get out and about, enjoy a drink or good food in a different environment – however everything will look and feel different.

This can throw up issues which you might not expect, both for local business owners or brands as well as for customers.

We caught up with Karl Drew, the general manager of the Hall & Woodhouse pub and restaurant in Wichelstowe, Swindon to find out how business was going as we move through August.

“It’s been wonderful and also a real period of adjustment for us all, with our key focus on keeping everyone safe, not only for guests but for our amazing team who also could not wait to get back to work” he said.

“The Eat Out To Help Out scheme has meant that the beginning of the week has become very busy, however we have to be careful about capacity due to necessary social distancing rules. We’ve been asking our customers to be flexible and support us to get used to this new situation and the majority have been only too accommodating. We thank them for understanding that we have to consider not only their safety, but the safety of our team.”

Hall & Woodhouse Wichelstowe is part of the H&W group which manages several managed houses across the south of the UK, along with another 150 tenanted pubs. The company found during lockdown that a proportion of its staff across the UK did not qualify for the furloughing scheme (Job Retention Scheme). This was due to the fact that they were not working during the qualifying period. However a decision was made to pay everyone furloughing wages to support all staff, embed loyalty and ensure their pubs and restaurant could get back to business as soon as lockdown allowed. Those pubs which have tenants were also given a rent ‘holiday’ to take the pressure of landlords who saw their businesses shut down overnight.

Not every pub or restaurant brand has been so understanding or compassionate to its staff and tenants, especially so they don’t have to pay the ‘holiday’ money back.

“This was the right decision for us. Our reputation is invaluable and we want to get back to business in a manner which is safe and respectful for everyone. We feel we are all in this together as one big team,” Karl said.

Here are Total Guide’s top tips to support our local pubs and restaurants in and around Swindon at this time:

• Book online – most cannot deal with customers who ‘just turn up’ even for a drink as numbers have to be controlled due to social distancing. This relates to both eating and ‘having a few drinks’. Check out each venue’s policy online first to avoid being turned away. Booking online also means venues are able to bring in the right – and legal – numbers of staff.
• Embrace cashless – a lot of venues have gone cashless, to reduce physical contact, speed up the transaction process and reduce face to face time, so please be prepared to pay on card a lot more now. In fact in some shops and venues, cash is not being accepted at all.
• Don’t expect to meet up in larger groups – even if you are family. There are still restrictions on numbers and in some very small cafes, due to social distancing, they can only accommodate groups of three or less, with a maximum of six at time of writing.
• Be flexible about ‘your table’ – if you are a regular and you have a table you really like and you want that table, you may not be able to have it. This can be due to social distancing and reduced tables in any premises.
• Help Out With Eat Out To Help Out – the scheme is fantastic however it also means that some qualifying restaurants get full very quickly due to reduced numbers and cannot accommodate you immediately, so have a few dates in mind while the scheme runs.
• Track & Trace – some customers are reluctant to participate in this scheme, however it’s a legal requirement for local venues to comply. If you don’t want to fill in any official form, you will not be able to attend the venue or you will have to leave before being served.
• Table service – get used to table service even for drinks. At the moment, queuing at the bar for most venues is not allowed. This prevents too many people standing close to each other.
• Be understanding around outside space – just because a restaurant has outside space doesn’t mean it can accommodate lots of extra people outside. With unpredictable weather, many have to be ready for those customers eating outside to come inside the premises. Outdoors is merely an extension of the same rules as indoors.
• Be patient – less people will be working in the kitchen and as waiting staff in most restaurants. This keeps social distancing in place and also many businesses have not recruited for the summer so they may have less staff than, say, summer 2019. It may take longer to be served than normal as a result.
• Take drinks & meals from the tray – many restaurants are bringing large trays and asking you to remove your own drinks and meals. This may feel alien and may feel like the personal service is somewhat lacking. However it’s a legitimate measure to reduce the number of surfaces both staff and customers touch, along with keeping some more distance between customers and staff.
• Masks – different venues will have different rules as you are not required to wear a face mask when eating and drinking, obviously. Be patient and kind around this. Some venues insist on all customers wearing masks until they are seated, unless they can prove they are exempt. Many venues have given staff the choice around wearing masks and they also allow customers to choose to wear masks when not seated at their table.
• If you are at risk and worried because you’ve been shielding – bear in mind that many of these venues will have people in them, albeit socially distanced, and it can feel like a crowd after lockdown. If this is going to be uncomfortable or worrying in any way – think twice about coming along, because undoubtably you will come into close proximity to other people and there won’t be any further measures a venue can put into place. No venue can offer a staff member per table to protect you as you move around.

Our overall message is please support your local eateries in a mindful manner, follow the guidelines they have put in place to protect you as a customer and their staff as employees. This includes following one way systems and using separate entry and exit doors.

This new normal means changes for everyone and planning ahead is key to ensure you know what the processes and procedures are at your chosen venue. That way the new normal will not affect your enjoyment of an evening or lunchtime out and about in Swindon!