Table service only will see pubs lose £80m, says BBPA

Restrictions currently placed on pubs including table service only will lead to them losing out on £80m in revenue from pint sales – down 34% on revenue for a normal spring bank holiday weekend, according to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA). 

The trade association said that despite a “positive” first week of indoor and outdoor trading, the restrictions currently placed on pubs including table service only and one metre plus social distancing are “significantly reducing” the number of customers they can host and thus the number of pints they are selling.

Despite restrictions, the association does estimate that 42 million pints of beer will be sold in Britain’s pubs over the Spring bank holiday weekend – 21 million fewer pints than normal.

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the BBPA said that pubs only have a “fighting chance” of recovering from more than a year of lockdowns and restrictions if they can fully reopen as normal. 

She said: “Despite 95% of pubs being open, they cannot stay open and survive under the current restrictions they face. Upwards of 2,000 pubs in the UK still aren’t able to reopen at all because they are too small for social distancing or table service only. 

“As more and more people get their vaccine, and if reports continue to suggest that the Indian variant is less prevalent than originally believed, all restrictions must be removed in pubs on 21 June as per the government’s own roadmap.”