Omicron: Pubs warn of impact of Covid cancellations

As concerns surrounding the latest Covid variant have grown in recent days, the hospitality industry is beginning to feel the impact.

Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the introduction of new Covid measures - known as Plan B - due to the threat posed by the Omicron variant.

The ramping up of restrictions, together with the prime minister's declaration of an "Omicron emergency" on Sunday, has made many people reluctant to go out and socialise.

We asked three pubs and restaurants how they are being affected.

Over the weekend, the Elephant and Castle pub in Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, had 12 separate groups cancel bookings.

With party sizes ranging from 12 to 38, the owners say this has had a "devastating effect", not just on their business but on others in the community too.

Food and drink, much of which is ordered from local suppliers, will go to waste, they say, with future orders being potentially reduced, and staff who are scheduled to work may now not be needed.

Joint owner Matt Elvidge has called for those considering cancelling bookings to just "talk to them" to find a solution.

"Staff don't get to work shifts and can't pay their bills and cash flow is devastated," he says.

"There just needs to be a conversation. People don't really consider the impact of their decisions on others."

His suggestions include arranging smaller group or team meals in separate areas or on separate dates, or rewarding your team with meal vouchers.

They also own a brewery so can offer tour vouchers, boxes of beer or bottles of their gin, spiced rum or whisky.

He says there is a lot of scaremongering and people tend to say, "that's it, we're staying in".

"But there needs to be a balance in the way people react to the situation," he says.

"Don't just have a knee-jerk reaction, there are ways you can show your love for your team and support the local community.

"Call us and see what we can do. If you don't, there's a very good chance we won't be here when the next festive period comes."

The Cellar House in Norwich says while it has lost a few bookings, "it doesn't seem as bad as it could have been painted" - and the pub is making up ground in other areas.

"But it's still not as Christmas should be, because there's an element of caution and people are changing their habits," says landlady Victoria MacDonald.

"We're finding that while not everyone wants to go to a big office party, they will go out with the people they want to be with, so we might get smaller groups from offices.

"Also, people might decide not to meet up with friends but will use the money to go out with family instead.

"This year it's not about packing people in, we're still doing everything in a socially responsible way. It's just all a little bit quieter, but we're doing the best we can."

Part of their offering includes a workstation deal for people working from home. For a set price people can come in, use the wifi, and have tea and coffee and a sandwich during a three-hour block.

"Sometimes people just don't feel comfortable working from home," Ms MacDonald says. "They can't bear sitting within the same four walls, don't have a decent workspace or just want to see another face."

"We know how important it is to not be on your own and even if they don't want to engage, there's still a hubbub going on."

But Ms MacDonald, who is also on the Campaign for Pubs executive committee, says there is "more concern" about pubs that are drink-led, often in city centres, who rely on people going out spontaneously in the run-up to Christmas.

"If people are being told to work from home, then [those pubs] will probably suffer the most because that's a lot of trade for them to lose."

At the Rose and Crown in St Albans, Hertfordshire, they were looking forward to a packed pub last weekend with a Christmas party for 100 people.

Six days before, the group, which was involved in education, cancelled amid worries over the new variant.

Landlord Jamie West said: "Understandably they started to feel uncomfortable being seen to have that big a gathering... they took the decision they had to pull the plug."

The weekend of the party was the pub's most frequently requested for Christmas parties, but at late notice it was impossible to find new groups.

That was when charities St Albans Action for Homeless and Ask for Clive stepped in and took on the booking for a fundraising evening.

"Six days notice meant all the other parties had found somewhere else to go and we were left with a gaping hole - that booking was the whole pub.

"We had a raffle, quiz, did the buffet, and they just sort of salvaged something that could have been a terrible evening at a terrible time for the hospitality industry," Mr West says.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]