A Liverpool chef has praised Liverpool as a "magical" city and claimed he was "jealous" of customers who get to visit his restaurant.
Ellis Barrie, along with his brother Liam, opened Albert Dock restaurant Lerpwl in September amid the ongoing restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He described the experience as "bonkers" but went on to thank people from the city for being so "chilled", crediting them for helping to create the right vibe for his restaurant.
Ellis, who is known for his appearances on BBC Two's Great British Menu, told the ECHO : " Weekends are getting us through, it has still been busy but the loss of tourism has been hard. The dock has felt it as a whole, the footfall is down a lot.
“The hardest part is policing the restrictions, how are we supposed to know if people live in the same house or know if they’re really exempt from wearing a mask? People get really annoyed if you question them and it’s hard to stop people having a go.
“I’d say about two percent of people just wanna be funny, but that’s minute in the grand scheme of things.
“But we’ve just got to get through this. We’re feeling really positive about it, if we can just hold on we’ll be okay.
“Scousers on the whole are just so chilled about things that it hasn’t been too bad.
“I think the vibe of the restaurant helps because we don’t want things to be too quiet, we want the banter and the laughter and the social atmosphere.
“It’s my vision come true, it’s the best thing ever; seeing the vibe and clientele is the exact thing I wanted. It’s definitely a good sign when you’re jealous of your own customers”.
He also described opening a restaurant in Liverpool as a “proud” moment and added there’s “something magical about it”.
Earlier this month, Ellis confirmed the restaurant had seen a number of no shows and cancelled bookings , even adding that Lerpwl was “losing a booking every hour”.
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However, he said he understands why people may be nervous visiting a restaurant.
He added: “I think people are just really scared these days, I think the not turning up is just out of fear of the new rules, the 10pm rule and the not mixing of households.
“I think people just don’t want confrontation. Normally, I’d be annoyed at it but I really do get it.
“As a restaurant we’re already a very clean environment, and the team is doing everything they can to stay that way."
