Alarmed London restaurant and pub bosses today warned any new restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus would be the “nail in the coffin” for many venues.
They fear measures similar to those imposed on towns and cities in the North-East, such as a 10pm curfew, would devastate the sector just when it was starting to recover from the original lockdown. Pubs in Newcastle and Durham have said that trade on Friday, when the curfew came into effect, was down about 50 per cent on the previous week.
Sam Harrison, owner of Sam’s Riverside in Hammersmith, said: “This could be the nail in the coffin for many of us. If we’re forced to close at 10pm it will probably take at least 25 per cent off our dinner trade. That will put businesses out of business and jeopardise many jobs. What notice will they give us? We will have to contact all guests with bookings after 8pm and tell them.”
David Moore, owner of Michelin-starred Pied a Terre in Fitzrovia, said: “Restaurants are not to blame for any increase in Covid numbers. We are responsibly managed and keep our staff and customers safe.
“Introducing a curfew would be madness. The reopening of Pied a Terre, for example, has seen us reduce the number of tables from 14 to 10 in the restaurant and trading from six days to four days.
James Robson, chairman of Fallow restaurant in Mayfair, said: “A 10pm curfew would likely, and devastatingly, result in us having to lay off 50 per cent of our team immediately. Our business relies on bookings made after 8.15pm, and we know that customers would prefer not to book at that time if it means they’ll be asked to leave the restaurant less than two hours later.”
