The hospitality industry has been one of the hardest hit sectors over the course of the coronavirus pandemic.
A cycle of lockdowns, tight restrictions and warnings to avoid social mixing indoors has had a devastating impact on trade for pubs and restaurants.
Furlough schemes and bounceback loans have been introduced at different points over the last two years to support the industry and its workers.
Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said people should 'think carefully' before going out to celebrate this Christmas, while England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty advised Britons to consider cutting back on socialising.
This rise in cases and the move to ‘plan B’ has led to businesses across the city being hit by a flood of cancellations.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced today that struggling pubs and restaurants will be able to claim up to £6,000 to help them survive a second Covid Christmas.
But much of the damage has already been done for the breweries who supply our pubs and bars.
Blackjack Brewing Co. brews its drinks in the railway arches beside Angel Meadow Park on the edge of the city centre.
Their ales can be found at its Northern Quarter pub The Smithfield Tavern as well as its Jack in the Box bars at the neighbouring Mackie Mayor and Altrincham Market, and many other pubs across the region.
They shared a stark ‘sales data’ graph on their Twitter page showing how suppliers had taken a ‘battering’ recently as pubs and bars order less stock due to less demand and uncertainty.
The brewery tweeted: "Welcome to Xmas week sales data. Consumer confidence is down, pubs and bars react suppliers take a battering on the one week we've been planning for 6 months.
"This is caused by mixed messaging and is occurring across the country in many industries. We need clarity.
"We know there is a pandemic, we've been battling it, keeping staff, fellow suppliers and customers safe for nearly two years now.
"If there are restrictions coming we need to train staff, do rotas, secure raw ingredients and infrastructure i.e. 'pivot' for the fifth time in two years. Whatever you may think about the incumbent surely we can agree that saying nothing is causing direct harm.
"Communicate please.
"For the rest of you fine people, if you can, please shop independently where you can afford it. We've all got weighty bounceback loans to repay and it's looking like it's going to be a tight new year for everyone."
Other Greater Manchester breweries have also shared their struggle and frustrations with recent announcements.
Steve Dunkley, from Beer Nouveau, a brewery and tap room located in the railway arches in North Western Street, tweeted: “Winter Solstice, longest night of the year. Kinda fits with how we're all feeling at the moment.
“I was supposed to be brewing yesterday and today. Didn't yesterday, likely won't today. If we don't know if we'll be able to open to sell it, we don't know if we need to brew it.
“Beer doesn't appear overnight. You don't just sit down in the garden with cheese and it magically appears.
“It takes a day to brew, then a week or so to ferment, then a few days to clear, then a couple of weeks to condition in cask/bottle.
“We’re basically looking at brewing now for late January/early February. But we don't know if we'll be open at all in January, so we don't know if our current stock will still be sat there, or if we'll have sold it. This is the limbo that breweries are in.”
He is also not too happy with the support packages announced today: “If you think that the government's support for pubs is generous, £6k will barely keep the lights on for your small, independent local pub."
Serious Brewing Co. based in Rochdale added: “This week has seen the worst cask sales outside of a lockdown for us in what would normally be one of our busiest weeks of the year.
“The hospitality sector is reeling from cancellations as the warning from Downing Street of a ‘tidal wave’ of infections is driving people away.
“During lockdown many breweries like us turned to small pack and online sales, and this has certainly helped buoy up beer sales in the run-up to Christmas, but it hasn’t made up for lost cask sales.”
What the government says
Announcing the £1 billion support package for the hospitality industry earlier today, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: " We recognise that the spread of the Omicron variant means businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors are facing huge uncertainty, at a crucial time.
"So we’re stepping in with £1 billion of support, including a new grant scheme, the reintroduction of the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme and further funding released through the Culture Recovery Fund.
"Ultimately the best thing we can do to support businesses is to get the virus under control, so I urge everyone to Get Boosted Now."
