People cancelling parties and meals left, right and centre.

nancy75 · 03/12/2021 12:24

My husband works in a central London pub, they have lost about 40% of their bookings.
They are still busy because it's central London but it has been a massive hit - I dread to think the effect it's having on smaller out of town business

Original poster

Beafaith · 03/12/2021 12:29

@nancy75

My husband works in a central London pub, they have lost about 40% of their bookings. They are still busy because it's central London but it has been a massive hit - I dread to think the effect it's having on smaller out of town business

That's awful. I just don't know how they will cope.

OP posts:

MLMshouldbeillegal · 03/12/2021 12:34

Well a lot of them won't cope.

It's the mixed messages from the government - not just the Westminster government, but Sturgeon, Drakeford and the rest of them too. On one hand everything is open and you're legally allowed to go to restaurants and clubs. Even though in Scotland you need to prove your covid status for the theatre.

On the other hand they are holding press conferences designed to scare people about Omicron, adverts on telly with animations of germs spreading, Scottish government still advocating meeing outside (in December), travel bans, test test test, booster jabs.

The christmas meal for the charity shop where I volunteer is not going ahead because so many of the (doubled jabbed and boosted) volunteers are too scared.

It's really sad.

Whammyyammy · 03/12/2021 12:55

And as the government have not told venues to close or cancel.... they're not going to provide financial assistance. Very clever

InCahootswithOrwell · 03/12/2021 12:56

@Beafaith

What does this mean for businesses? Seen multiple posts from restaurants saying they now have availability for this date and that date in December. If it wasn't for Omricon coming to light, people wouldn't have cancelled even though there are high rates of covid. As the government haven't restricted hospitality, how are they going to cope?

I don’t know if it’s just omicron. We booked ours months ago with the expectation that the exit wave everyone was talking would have passed and cases would be lower going into winter. As it is I doubt anyone is going to want to go out with high levels of Covid circulating and end up having covid over Christmas. I think ours will probably end up being cancelled in the next couple of weeks.

Flossieskeeper · 03/12/2021 12:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WheelieBinPrincess · 03/12/2021 12:58

Government don’t need to impose a lockdown this Christmas, we are going it all by ourselves

I feel sick for the hospitality industry to be honest.

QueenofKattegat · 03/12/2021 13:00

It's crazy, isn't it. People self imposing all these onerous restrictions on themselves.

emmathedilemma · 03/12/2021 13:07

@QueenofKattegat

It's crazy, isn't it. People self imposing all these onerous restrictions on themselves.

Bearing in mind that last Christmas a lot of people didn't get to see their family I don't think avoiding a Xmas party with colleagues -who you don't like that much anyway- so you can minimise your risk of that happening again is exactly an onorous restriction!

HainaultViaNewburyPark · 03/12/2021 13:08

I don’t think it’s just restaurants that will suffer. I think shops will too. My original plan for today and Monday was to go Christmas shopping. But the reintroduction of masks has made me change my mind. I wear glasses, and I just can’t face being unable to see clearly for the majority of the day. Plus I rely on lip reading to hear properly, and the thought of not being able to communicate effectively fills me with dread. So I’m staying at home and my money is (mostly) staying in my bank account. I’ll get a few bits online, but I’d definitely have spent more if I’d been shopping in person. Plus (of course) I’d have bought food and drink whilst I was out and about.

Original poster

Beafaith · 03/12/2021 13:09

@WheelieBinPrincess

Government don’t need to impose a lockdown this Christmas, we are going it all by ourselves

I feel sick for the hospitality industry to be honest.

Yes I totally agree. Our Xmas party is cancelled. Every single one of us is double vaccinated, we also all have pcr tests every week and lft every shift.

OP posts:

PicsInRed · 03/12/2021 13:12

@Whammyyammy

And as the government have not told venues to close or cancel.... they're not going to provide financial assistance. Very clever

This, and also the businesses won't be able to claim on business interruption insurance as they haven't been compelled to close.

This will be the final straw for many businesses which were only just holding on to get to that revenue and cashflow of a normal 2021 Christmas and NY - without this, many will now fold.

OhRexy · 03/12/2021 13:12

I can absolutely see why these parties are being cancelled. Who wants to get Covid on a night out which could balls up their family Christmas!

I haven't got a big do this year but I wouldn't be going if there was.

I've got people around me testing positive and feeling really poorly despite being vaccinated.

The government needs to offer support for the hospitality industry. We shouldn't be blaming individuals or companies for businesses suffering.

Angel2702 · 03/12/2021 13:18

I think it’s more to do with the risk of having to isolate as a contact rather than rates of Covid that is changing people’s behaviour.

We are certainly thinking carefully about which activities we attend and when in the run up to Christmas. Particularly as we are in an area with confirmed Omicron cases. Having to isolate and miss Christmas is a risk too far.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 03/12/2021 13:41

Not me. I'm out for 6 meals this month, first one tonight. I had Covid in August so I'm not overly concerned about catching it again so soon. If I do, I do.

Cornettoninja · 03/12/2021 13:41

The government needs to offer support for the hospitality industry. We shouldn't be blaming individuals or companies for businesses suffering

I don’t think that government support will happen again on the same scale as previously, not unless they’re forced to bring back restrictions officially.

They haven’t mandated these businesses close, this is natural market forces essentially and tories are capitalists.

OhRexy · 03/12/2021 13:43

@Cornettoninja

The government needs to offer support for the hospitality industry. We shouldn't be blaming individuals or companies for businesses suffering

I don’t think that government support will happen again on the same scale as previously, not unless they’re forced to bring back restrictions officially.

They haven’t mandated these businesses close, this is natural market forces essentially and tories are capitalists.

I know that, I'm saying they should be offering support.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 03/12/2021 13:44

I’m heart broken for many businesses and indeed the travel sector- their month to get back on their feet and the government fuck it all up with out directly doing so to avoid blame and a claim!

Cornettoninja · 03/12/2021 13:49

On what basis though @OhRexy? If a business doesn’t have enough custom what’s that got to do with the government?

I don’t completely disagree with you btw but realistically that’s not the government we have in power.

Missmissmiiiiiiiiisss · 03/12/2021 13:54

To be honest I blame Joe Public rather than the government. I’ve have had multiple people ask if we are cancelling our works Christmas lunch. We work in an open plan office with the exact same people every day and are having caterers deliver to the office! There is literally no reason to cancel unless legall compelled to. Some people are just so anxious (or possibly antisocial!) that they aren’t thinking logically.

RoseValleyRambles · 03/12/2021 13:56

I agree that it's likely the risk of needing to isolate that's the major cause. Vaccines make COVID itself less of a monumental concern for many, but it'd be awful to get a contact alert after a work do that meant you couldn't go to family for Christmas.

Martinisarebetterdirty · 03/12/2021 13:59

I’m with PP, I’m not worried about catching Covid but I am worried about having to isolate for 10 days on the off chance - no way am I missing seeing my family again this year, so anything I can cancel without too much upset to me or the children I am doing.

ParkheadParadise · 03/12/2021 14:01

I'm going into the City Centre tonight for a Christmas night out with friends.

I'm also going to DH's Christmas works night out next week.

I've got Dd's Birthday party at the weekend no one has cancelled 🙈 a room full of 6yr old running about.

candycane222 · 03/12/2021 14:01

Well obviously they can only offer support if they impose restrictions. So they won't impose restrictions, so they don't have to offer support.

At least Sunak isn't out there actively herding people into underventilated pubs (yet..)

WineGetsMeThroughIt · 03/12/2021 14:13

My friend works for a very large company with thousands of employees across 4-5 different sites in the UK. She's just messaged me saying the company has cancelled all Christmas parties for this year. So she's now free and we'll go out for dinner on that night anyway.

I went to the ivy (a local one) for a late lunch yesterday and it was heaving. Never seen it so busy before! So hopefully not all doom and gloom for the whole industry and people will just go out on their own in smaller numbers