„The UK government failed to deliver functioning testing and track and trace and in order not to loose face they are using hospitality as a scapegoat“ - Alex Kratena, one of the most influential and multi-award bartenders of his generation for VisitChef magazine.
All pubs, bars, restaurants and other hospitality venues in England must have a 22:00 closing time from Thursday, to help curb the spread of coronavirus.
Alex, what does this situation mean for the London or the British gastro scene?
UK bars are outraged by new industry restrictions. The curfew will have absolutely devastating impact on hospitality and especially wet sales led venues. To ilustrate; average London bar generates 70% of its sales post 10pm, since reopening the best case scenario businesses were turning 60% like for like sales on last year. Since the announcement of curfew in media we have already witnessed sales totally colapsing, a situation very reminiscent of the weeks prior the first lockdown. Thousands of businesses have been put at risk and hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost.
In fact, bars in the centre of Prague´s have not been operating gastronomically since this spring, and the summer loosening did not help, when the government relaxed the restrictions. Tourists did not come. Outside Prague, restaurants, pubs and bars work a little better. Is it the same in the UK, I mean London vs. countryside?
Overall we have seen stronger performance in venues that are situated in heavily residential areas.
How do you feel about the introduction of the rule to close bars and restaurants at 10 pm?
Curfew is not a solution to covid 19 and won’t improve anything. Government figures clearly show that hospitality linked infections are bellow 5%; placing our industry way behind others. Hospitality is being vilanised and penalising it won’t improve anything. The curfew will promote illegal activities and gatherings. Sector specific support must be provided immidiately.
You write on Instagram that the UK government has failed. In what way exactly from your point of view have they failed?
The UK government failed to deliver functioning testing and track and trace and in order not to loose face they are using hospitality as a scapegoat. The government has a very limited understanding of how bar industry works and therefore they make extremely poor decisions that will kill businesses and hundreds of thousands will loose their jobs.
Do all of the colleagues you talk to about the situation have the same opinion? On the contrary, are they not afraid of infection and therefore welcome the measures?
We are experts on food and drink safety, we are experts on guest and staff safety, we desinfect and clean venues more then any other industry, we know how to protect people and cold hard numbers prove this; figures of office for national statistics clearly show that hospitality connected infections are bellow 5%. UK hospitality industry is extremely professional, well connected and none of us welcome the current measures.
How could this regulation have been prevented in recent weeks or months?
If the government provided functioning and sufficient testing and track and trace and if they have focused on protecting and shielding vulnerable the situation would have been much better. Supresing the virus won’t help, we must learn to live with it.
Instead of a 10 p.m.closure, what solution would you and your colleagues consider right?
The highest infection rates are in schools, workplaces and care homes, the effort needs to go where it is needed the most.
It is clear that a bar as young as Tayēr + Elementary needs to be open and full. When will this situation really become (or has it already begun?) liquidating and unbearable for your bar?
We are sitting on a plane that is destined to crash and last night (21. september 2020) the UK government served us a death sentence. This government must be held responsible for jobs and livelihoods that will be lost in weeks and months to come.
