Small pubs area still in the dark over when or how they are going to reopen after lockdown restrictions are lifted – though it could possibly be as early as June 22.
Since March 20 all public houses have been closed as the 海角视频 tried to prevent the coronavirus pandemic overwhelming the NHS.
Landlords have received no firm indication form the Government on when they can start pulling pints again, but it is now rumoured ministers will say they can open on June 22 – provided they can serve drinks outdoors.
With 3.5million jobs on the line, the licensed trade is hoping to be back in business sooner than the current hoped-for date of July 4.
But even that is not set in stone. And there is also no certainty on what sort of social distancing rules they will be expected to observe. So, many are left in limbo, while some others have found other ways of rebooting the business. Some of Plymouth’s best known small independent public houses are vowing to reopen, but can’t say more at the moment.
At the bijou Indian Inn, in the Stoke area of the city, landlady Claire Bassett said there is only about 2m width from the bar to the seating, which makes social distancing less of a challenge and more of an impossibility, unless it is reduced to a World Health Organisation approved 1m.
Mrs Bassett, who has owned the pub for 30 years, said she does have outside seating, front and back, but would only be able to fit four people out front and eight in the rear yard if social distancing is maintained, but said that for so few punters: “It would not be viable for me to open.”
She added: “We rely on darts and euchre leagues, and to do that would be impossible with social distancing, unless they come up with a different strategy or the pandemic is over.”
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At the 1620, in Notte Street, very close to the waterfront, owner Zena Bateman is looking for a new model after only opening in early 2020 and having pumped cash and time into turning the one-time Notte Inn into her dream business.
Miss Bateman is re-imagining her business by selling “ploughman’s and prosecco picnics” safely to people who can queue socially distant in the street outside.
“We are doing dessert boxes full of homemade cakes, and our ploughman’s picnic would have been on the menu had we been open,” she said. “A fish version picnic box will soon be released.”
She said the 1620, which was “doing really well” in the few weeks it was open before lockdown, but Miss Bateman now worries how it will reopen with social distancing in place, and said: “What worries me the most is the pub is long and narrow.
“If you can only have a certain number of people in the pub at a certain time you have to ask if it makes it viable to open at all, with having huge overheads.”
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At the King Billy, in Devonport, another pub which had just reopened with a new name and new owners when the Covid-19 nightmare broke, Celia Jones, who revamped and reopened the pub with hubby Graham in late 2019, said: “We have no idea when we can reopen and have had no information. And we are not sure how social distancing will go. If they say we can open with a beer garden we will have to do that.”
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But she said it would struggle without its money-spinning darts games and added: “I can’t see the darts leagues starting before Christmas. Because of social distancing.”
She said the freehouse might also have a problem obtaining beer, as some breweries had lockdown are are slowly getting back into production.
The Grenville, in St Judes, is run by father and daughter team Simon and Megan Graham, who said she “doesn’t have a clue” when it will be back in business.
“We have no idea when we can reopen, what we have to do, and have had no advice from anyone,” Miss Graham said.
The Grenville has no beer garden, thus nixing any possibility of a July restart, and with a capacity of about 150, it would be seriously economically hampered by social distancing.
“It’s Catch-22,” said Miss Graham. “If you don’t have people in you don’t make money, it’s actually cost us to have it closed. But with social distancing we could do it.”
The cosy Lord High Admiral, in Stonehouse, has managed to reopened without breaking any lockdown restrictions – as a takeaway pizzeria and coffee house.
The LHA is trading three days a week, but only as a base for Plymouth Market’s Knead Pizza and Stonehouse’s Hutong Cafe. With the market shut and cafes unable to open during the lockdown, both businesses have re-imagined their way of working and are now providing a takeaway and ordering service, which the restrictions permit them to do.
Knead Pizza, which is owned by LHA bosses Alistair Skitt and Holly Smith, is now offering a “click and collect” pizza service at the pub on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in the afternoon and evening.
And it has brought in the family team from Hutong to serve hot beverages, sour dough and breakfast baps on Saturdays.
For the companies, the arrangement is proving to be a lifeline at a time when otherwise they could not generate any income.
Meanwhile, at The Providence, in Greenbank, landlady Shirlie Jones said social distancing would be an impossibility and added: “You'd have five in the pub, one in each corner - for me personally it wouldn't work. Until the Government fully lift the restrictns then I can't see it working. I'm hoping (we'll be back open) in say, August?" she said. "Maybe. Perhaps September? We just don't know what to expect.”