A popular Bristol steak restaurant would 'struggle to come back' if it is forced to close again in the coming months because of a new lockdown.
Mugshot opened on St Nicholas Street in 2018 and instantly hit the ground running, earning a five-star review from Bristol Live food critic Mark Taylor days after launching.
But after the 1920's inspired steakhouse had established itself as one of the very best in Bristol, it was forced to close in March 2020 when the first lockdown was announced.
The restaurant, headed up by Birmingham-born electrician Adam Bryan and his partner Zowie Yip, launched a delivery service to keep things ticking over, but the couple were itching to start serving customers again.
A lack of outside seating meant they were not able to reopen on April 12 when many other venues did, and their delivery service predictably dried up after this, leaving them eager for the latest step of lockdown easing to come around.
"Our reopening has been a long time coming and it's been really nice having customers in the restaurant again this week," said Adam.
"The last time we were able to do that was December, and only for five days.
"Although the delivery service was okay, we've really missed serving people at the restaurant."
Adam, who is currently building a secret cocktail bar a few doors down from Mugshot to be used a private lounge for restaurant guests, is now keen to shore up the business' financial position as much as possible to help it survive through another potential lockdown.
"The Government has been okay with the grants but the support hasn't been enough," he added. "It's been a really difficult time, as it has for all restaurants, and we've only just about managed to reopen this time.
"We're already thinking we need to generate enough money to help us survive through another lockdown, because the last one was really tough. Thankfully we're pretty much fully booked for the next four weekends.
"It would be very difficult for us to come back if there is another lockdown straight away. It would spell serious trouble, so we're keeping our fingers crossed it all goes well."
Mugshot has kept all the safety procedures it had in place from last year, which means customers need to wear face masks when they are not seated.
The restaurant is also operating at a reduced capacity to ensure social distancing is adhered to.
Bristol's weekly infection rate has decreased according to the latest data, but a growing number of the fast-spreading Indian variants are being identified across the South West.
.jpg?w=600)
