Why are so many restaurants still closed?

[SillyUnMurphy]

I’m in a busyish town in East Herts and so many restaurants are still closed or offering takeaway only. A lot of them are large chain restaurants with space for social distancing albeit with booking necessary. Also garden centre cafes still closed (again very big spaces and with outside space). Costa is takeaway only or completely closed. No Nando’s, Cote Brassiere, zizzi, Pizza Express or Bills.

I don’t understand it. Cafes and restaurants have had a long time to prepare for reopening. Boris and co are telling us we all have to ‘Eat out to help out’ but hardly anything near me is open and I don’t want to always have food to take away. The only thing near us is an M&S cafe where you can sit in and it has been done really well with loads of space between everyone.

Are all of these restaurants just relying on the government furlough scheme to pay their staff, with no intention of opening up until that’s finished?

How can the economy get moving again if places won’t open?

Restaurant inside & outside eating areas may be able to accommodate social distancing

However, how do you social distance in a small kitchen ?

@Thunderpunt got it! You’re actually very near me

@SillyUnMurphy well come and see us one day soon! We are the original Italian restaurant in the town, O~~~~~~ D~~~~

Not far from us either 👍🏻

@Thunderpunt - will do!!

It could also have to do with insurance terms. I know one of the complaints when they weren't shut down was that interuption to trade insurance couldn't be claimed as they were allowed to trade even if they had no customers. May be something to do with that?

I believe at this stage the furlough option is too generous and encouraging poor behaviour, particularly from large chains. Why take a risk when you can get free government money.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

I believe at this stage the furlough option is too generous and encouraging poor behaviour, particularly from large chains. Why take a risk when you can get free government money.

The point is that they shouldn’t be taking risks with staff safety.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

I believe at this stage the furlough option is too generous and encouraging poor behaviour, particularly from large chains. Why take a risk when you can get free government money.

Whilst the furlough scheme has without doubt been abused, I'm not sure if this is the primary reason many restaurants haven't re-opened. From July there is an expectation that staff are brought back part time and will only get furlough payments to top up (at least that's what I understand) plus many hospitality staff will be on zero hours contracts, or their wages topped up with tips so companies probably won't be receiving much by way of furlough pay for them so will be keen to return their staff to work. (I could be wrong but I just don't think that will be the main reason iyswim)

I live a town in E. Herts and noticed yesterday and today that a couple of the independent cafes in town have extended their outdoor seating and seem really busy.

I’d imagine the thread of a second wave won’t be helping either. If they get all set to to open, including screening and other adjustments that will cost them money, buy in new stock as a lot of it will have gone out of date since March, then have half the usual customers, taking twice as long due to queuing and distancing and general awkwardness, then they get told to shut down again and have to throw away a load more food and go through the whole thing again, I can understand why they’d rather wait and just do takeaways, or as a local restaurant near me has done, turn into a food shop for the duration.

Second wave is neither here nor there
its the cost of being shut for 3 months
the cost of complying with the new guidance
and the massive risk of supply issues in six months time
that will cause LOTS of businesses to go to the wall

As others have said it’s not viable

Also many people will not feel comfortable going out and I think many people have realised they don’t need to go out so often/buy so many clothes/coffees etc I think there is a shift in how we spend our many and many will simply not have the money to spend

I work for a large chain restaurant.
We are opening up slowly so that we can test what is safe and efficient for customers staff and the business.
We did the same for take away, took about a month to get all sites up and running.
It will take longer for dine in and I would imagine some sites won't re open at all.
I cannot wait to get back to work, I'm optimistic my site will be open some time next month.

Do you work for Nando’s blubellsarebells ?

I've been craving a Zizzi pizza all throughout lockdown.

My sister owns A restaurant and says if they are suddenly forced to close again she will loose 1000s of £ of produce again, wants to keep her workers on fourlough incase they have to close again! Some are small
And can’t get in enough tables to make the money worth opening!

Id rather not say where I work but its not nandos no.

West Herts here, most places have opened up.

There's at least one pub in my city that has been closed permanently, or least until someone else buys it. It was a good pub too. I suspect that there will be many more.

My DH has anxiety and we haven’t been out for a meal for a long time because of this. He’s been doing a lot better lately and thinks he would enjoy eating out with social distancing in place - not having to queue (which makes him panicky) and less people and so less noise around.

When they announced the £10 discount I immediately went onto the website for Pizza Hut and Nando’s because I thought they would get booked up quickly (that’s where DC want to go). I’ve got 2 weeks booked off in August so would go then.

However they’re not open. I will keep checking, but it doesn’t say anything about opening in our area. It’s a shame.

The owners may not think it is safe yet. Just because the government have said it is safe to eat out does not make it true. I have a social media friend who owns a cafe. They are just doing takeaway as they don't feel it's safe yet and font want to put their staff and customers at risk. I'm actually a but surprise you couldn't think of that yourself along with the other varied reasons suggested in the thread. All seen very logical and are arrived st with very little imagination.