Downtown Monthly
Sheer anger and frustration as pubs, restaurants and cafés face new lockdown rules that could kill off any last remaining businesses. The hospitality sector in the West Midlands was thrown into despair at the PM’s announcement of new tier system. The Birmingham hospitality sector feels it is being targeted unfairly by the government. The shattering impact of the new restrictions on the already fragile hospitality sector in Birmingham was summed up by restaurateur Nitin Solanki, from Aluna Bar in the Mailbox and Siamais Thai restaurant in Brindleyplace, who said “No business can survive the new rules”. Nitin spoke out after the PM confirmed that Birmingham, along with Sandwell, Solihull, Wolverhampton and Walsall, would be subject to extra restrictions after being classed as "high risk" areas under a new three-tier system. The concerns of Nitin Solanki are echoed throughout the hospitality industry, with the government’s new
three-tier system, not only reinforcing the 10pm curfew, but also stopping people (who aren’t from the same household) meeting in hospitality settings. The government’s new approach focuses on segregating areas of the country into either ‘very high’, ‘high’, or ‘medium’ risk categories, based on their rates of transmission, which subsequently, determines the extent of restrictions. With Birmingham placed on ‘high’ risk tier 2, further restrictions apply outside of the hospitality sector, such as the rule of 6 now applying to private gardens.
per cent on cashflow in July and with the 10pm curfew we lost an extra 30 per cent - and now if we are compliant with the latest restrictions we will lose even more.
Nitin said: "It's Armageddon for the hospitality industry. We were down 50
He added: "I was worried about the furlough scheme ending but now with
The way our venues are set up, we have lots of larger tables - it's very group friendly. So now realistically, if people are only in twos or fours - we lose an extra 40 per cent in turnover. Also we can't benefit from the job reduction scheme unless we are fully closed. It's just terrible.”
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