Navigating the New Normal

Words by: Rebecca Hopwood, Group Sales and Events Manager at D&D.

“Advised by the government, we have worked tirelessly to ensure we have complied with guidelines since reopening. It does however make it all the more disappointing that hospitality is seemingly being restricted further, when there is limited data to suggest that restaurants are a significant contributor to the proportion of rising cases.”

2020 has been a challenging year for all, especially in the hospitality sector, but we are doing all we can to stay positive and adapt to the constantly changing government guidelines.

Re-opening on the 4th July and welcoming guests back through our doors, whilst they dined behind freshly disinfected Perspex, was an extremely surreal experience. We at D&D London, along with the majority of our peers in the hospitality sector across the UK, have spared no expense to install Health and Safety Measures to keep our guests and staff safe. Advised by the government, we have worked tirelessly to ensure we have complied with guidelines since reopening. It does however make it all the more disappointing that hospitality is seemingly being restricted further, when there is limited data to suggest that restaurants are a significant contributor to the proportion of rising cases.

With all of the new procedures being put in place it was hard to see how we would function as normal. We have lost a significant amount of business to comply with social distancing, vertical drinking restrictions, in addition to further loss of business due to the 10pm curfew, and single household rules. Working as a Group Sales and Events Manager within the sector has been frustrating, as a sales focused individual it saddened me to see the enquiries and demand for group bookings and events coming in, but not being able to accommodate due to the government guidelines. We are trying our very best to adapt to the ever-changing demands, and we are enormously grateful for those who have supported us so far.

As industry individuals, it has been great to see the efforts behind the #cancelthecurfew campaign. Having to empty a restaurant whilst guests are seated enjoying their evening goes against everything we stand for. In Leeds we have so many incredible independent bars whose peak hours are post 10pm, and it’s been difficult to see so many with less resources struggling. Now more than ever we need people to support hospitality!

Eat Out to Help Out was incredible and we saw an amazing boost in covers with so many smiling faces coming through the doors. It’s amazing to see the loyalty of guests still returning after the scheme ended, both new and old, with the continuation of our menu offerings. We are fortunate to have rooftop terraces at all of our venues in the North, meaning we can book in groups outside from multiple households. The autumnal sun has been very much appreciated and allowed us to maximise those outdoor spaces. We have introduced new activations and it has forced us to be more creative as a business. To name a few we have Tuesdays Tipples, Thursday Weekend Warm-ups and our late-night express menus showcasing some of our signature dishes and drinks. We have amended our opening times to open earlier, we have brought in new menu ideas to allow for a speedy service before the curfew and we have introduced great value menus to entice people through our doors. We are working on event ideas to secure business on the books for Q3 that are all complying with the current government guidelines and we want to provide people with something to look forward to. It feels strange planning NYE parties based on a 10pm curfew but this curfew won’t stop us celebrating the end of 2020!

Hospitality as a sector is resilient, and we are putting up a fight to ensure we are coming back bigger and better than ever. We don’t know what the future holds, but what we do know is that once restrictions are lifted, we will be ready to open our venues to their full potential once again. COVID-19 isn’t going away any time soon, so we must continue to learn to live with it, and we will keep adapting.

The Dishoom Bacon Naan Roll Kit

Introducing, our first-ever 'at-home' cookery kit, complete with all the ingredients (and the know-how) to create Bacon Naan Rolls in your own kitchen.

Our kit contains the freshest ingredients, dishoomed straight to your door, including:– smoked streaky bacon from Ramsay of Carluke (matured in the traditional Ayrshire way and smoked over applewood and beechwood chips), three naan doughballs (enough for two plus a spare for experimentation), tomato-chilli jam (our sweet, sharp, spicy signature sauce), fresh coriander and cream cheese. Handy cooking instructions are supplied, as well as a helpful video for first-timers, provided below. Each kit also contains loose-leaf Darjeeling tea, chai spices and fresh ginger slices for brewing Chef Naved's much-loved Masala Chai. Breakfast and Chai for 2, for £16. Too good.

And for every Bacon Naan you make at home, we will donate a meal to Magic Breakfast – a brilliant charity who provide nourishing free meals to schools. This means the children are undistracted by hunger, and ready to learn.

The Bacon Naan Roll Kits are available to order for nationwide delivery from the button below.

Order for nationwide delivery