Coronavirus

Pandemic fuels 30,000 restaurant job losses

Almost 30,000 job losses were recorded by the UK’s restaurant and casual dining firms in 2020, according to data compiled by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR). The research also found that redundancies in the industry spiked 163% as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and related restrictions. The job…

Read More »

Sandwell restaurateurs fined after Covid-19 breach

The owners of Nemrut Restaurant Ltd in Lightwoods Road, Sandwell have been fined £200 after they failed to ensure their restaurant complied with Covid-19 safety restrictions.  According to local council reports, police in the area were forced to fine the pair after officers “discovered diners inside the restaurant”. This was…

Read More »

£104.3m hospitality lifeline needs to be reviewed, says SLTA

The Scottish government needs to urgently review the financial compensation it is offering to the hospitality sector if employees are to be “here after spring 2021”, according to the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA).   The statement comes in response to the new support measures the government offered this week after…

Read More »

Maxwell’s Restaurant Limited calls in liquidators, 400 jobs lost

Maxwell’s Restaurant Limited has gone into liquidation resulting in 400 members of staff being left redundant.  The restaurant group, which owned popular London venues such as Maxwell’s Bar and Grill, Cafe de Paris and Palm Court Brasserie said “reduced customer numbers” due to Covid-19 was one of the reasons for…

Read More »

Hospitality curfews ‘ineffective’, according to new report

Hospitality curfews, which were brought in to curb Covid-19 transmissions, were largely ineffective, according to a new report published by Stampede. The hospitality software startup’s research, which analysed 2.4 million customer interactions across UK hospitality venues, revealed that customers went out safely before curfew, and the government’s ‘Eat Out to…

Read More »

Northern Ireland to enter six week lockdown on 26 December

Hospitality businesses in Northern Ireland will close from the 26 December for a six week lockdown, as part of efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.  Under the new restrictions, restaurants and bars will only be able to operate as a takeaway and delivery service, with the legislation coming into…

Read More »

UKH: Tier 3 expansion will bring hospitality ‘further heartbreak’

UKHospitality has warned the recently announced expansion of Tier 3 will “bring further despair” to struggling businesses across the hospitality sector.  It comes as UK government officials yesterday (17 December) announced that the majority of the South East and East of England would enter Tier 3 this weekend, as coronavirus…

Read More »

Furlough scheme extended until April 2021

The furlough scheme has been extended until the end of April 2021 with the government continuing to contribute 80% towards wages to employee’s pay, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has confirmed today (17 December).  The government will also extend current government-guaranteed Covid-19 business loan schemes until the end of March.  This includes…

Read More »

Restrictions widen as millions enter Tier 3

UK government officials have announced that the majority of the South East and East of England will enter Tier 3 this weekend, as coronavirus cases continue to rise in many parts of the country.  Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the increased restrictions were necessary in order to control the…

Read More »

Welsh hospitality businesses to close from 6pm on Christmas Day

All Welsh hospitality businesses will close from 6pm on Christmas Day, as the country moves into level four restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19.  In an announcement made on Wednesday (16 December) the First Minister, Mark Drakeford said there are now more than 2,100 people with coronavirus symptoms in…

Read More »