Pubs and restaurants opening this weekend

I've just read that pubs will be allowed to open at 6am!

I'm all for starting to get things up and running but who on earth will want to go to the pub at 6 in the morning?

Where on earth do you live HAZBEEN ?

What an horrendous situation you describe and gillybob too.

With situations you have both described I would like to think that the police will be keeping an eye on those awful establishments, or am I being very naive?

In our small village, due to a lack of parking spaces for cottages, the residents park their cars on the narrow streets, making driving up those streets quite tricky. However, 2 restaurants and a pub have successfully applied to the council to commandeer the footpaths outside their establishments, so that they can seat drinkers and diners and observe social distancing. The residents are in uproar because there's nowhere else for them to park their cars, pedestrians will have to walk in the road to get past the drinkers and drivers and motorists will have to navigate around pedestrians with buggies, parks and wheelchairs.

I firmly believe that only those pubs and restaurants that have their own gardens for patrons to sit in should be allowed to open.

Who says it is safe? Barm pots!

Nothing can ever be completely safe - you take a risk walking to the bottom of your own garden. A meteor might drop out of the sky and land on your head, for example.
All you can do is minimise risk to as low as reasonably practicable.

Our favourite pub/restaurant posted on facebook to say they will be opening on Saturday. They have created an outdoor kitchen, you have to order your food in advance, and they have put tables, spaced out, in the car park. There is no indoor seating. You can either take your food home, or eat it at one of their tables, but you have to book a table in advance.

That seems eminently sensible to me, and given that there small number of cases locally is declining even further, it's a risk I'd be prepared to take, except that the weather forecast for the weekend is cold and rainy.

But I applaud them for doing the best they can to keep their clientele and staff safe & we'll be up there before too long.

If it was somewhere where cases were rising I'd feel rather differently.

I live opposite a pub with a large beer garden and I am dreading tomorrow! At the best of times the noise from there is horrendous, fighting, shouting, swearing, screaming children running around while their parents ignore them, football screened in the garden, loud music! Its been bliss in lockdown!
We have the constant beeping of taxis picking up fares and dont even get me started on the drug dealers arriving. We have been having a battle with the LA about it for the last couple of years but at last we were making headway until lockdown.
The worst thing is its a Marstons pub and theire chief executive has basically said they wont be following the guidelines. They are not doing table service, no bookings, no masks, screens etc. I know its down to the people themselves to SD but after a few drinks thats going to go out of the window!

My DD is a single parent with a 2 year old daughter FreeandEasy . It won’t be young people who will make trouble, it’s not a fashionable bar .... quite the opposite. But it’s on the outskirts of a very deprived area and those who have been locked up in tower blocks will head straight for this place .

It’s about as far from “The Ivy” as anyone could imagine .

There is not a snowflakes chance in hell that I will be going anywhere near pubs or restaurants for some time yet. Who says it is safe? Barm pots!

I can understand people’s anxiety about pubs and restaurants reopening but I think we need to put the risk in perspective.

Those who are too nervous or those in a high risk category will probably not go but we all know that things have to get back to some sort of normality at some point.

How long do we wait?
If the hospitality industry doesn’t reopen soon millions of people will lose their jobs.

How long should children be kept away from school ?
Will all of them catch up?

Yes there’s a risk with all the re openings but we can’t put our lives on hold indefinitely can we?

The government has got an incredibly difficult job balancing all the risks and they will never please everyone.

I don’t envy them!

Gillybob - I understand that you’re worried and I also understand that your DD is too. Does she have children? The problem is that there will always be a minority group of people who will break the rules and make trouble. I fear for our NHS staff too as the A&Es around the country will probably be inundated with drunken yobs. We don’t frequent pubs any more - I just don’t enjoy it. I’d much rather enjoy a drink at home. My partner, who enjoys a game of snooker in a local club on a Saturday afternoon (maximum seven people), won’t be able to go as the club isn’t opening as indoors games are still not allowed. How crazy is that? Despite licensees trying to comply with some sort of social distancing you can bet your life that town centre pubs will be inundated with revellers putting even more pressure on our police. In larger cities it will be chaos - young people will always want to have fun. Obviously, nothing wrong with that; we were all young once, but I fear that with everyone being locked up for so long it will be a nightmare. Look at those groups of teenagers recently, gathering in parks, getting drunk and high on drugs and those football fans in Liverpool? It just makes a mockery of the whole lock down period.

We won't be going anywhere as I have to stay away for another 4 weeks.
To be honest I prefer my own cooking to some of the things we have eaten out although our DS took us to the Ivy in Brighton on my birthday last year and it was wonderful - probably because I had the DGC there.

I agree Oopsminty things have to get moving again even if its with some difficulty. I expect there will be all the usual idiots out at the weekend spoiling things for others. I hope things go well for all the pubs and restaurants trying to get back on track.

We have already had a meal in our local restaurant and plan on going again tomorrow. It's a quiet rural area and everyone was very sensible.

Ah The Ivy - its a lovely restaurant I'm sure they will look after you - have a great time.
I am really looking forward to a restaurant meal so we will go into town tomorrow and see 'what's occurring' and then next weekend we are going to our daughter's we haven't seen her since before lockdown so she is booking a Sunday lunch for us at her local gastro pub which we all love. I just hope everyone treats this new 'privilege' with respect and doesn't overdo it.

No I won't, haven't been anywhere except the essentials and kept my risk of catching or spreading Covid to its minimum. This is because I'm working.

If I wasn't working, and I wanted to socialise, everyone I would be socialising with would have also chosen to take that risk.

The people I work with have not chosen to take that risk.

We were given a voucher for The Ivy at Christmas so we are going to lunch there next Tuesday. They have sent instructions about the present situation and I wouldn’t be surprised if they took our temperature on arrival. I am really looking forward to our first meal out. ?

It is dreadful GrannyGravy . The pub doesn’t serve food and situated where it is I just know there will be trouble tomorrow. My DD is dreading it.

I think the issue is also that some people have discovered what they actually like doing during lockdown rather than what they have been in the habit of doing. I havent missed pubs at all.

I think the issue is also that people ha

I am so fortunate that all my children have jobs that are secure, ( as secure as they can be) They are all working, able to provide for their children, pay their mortgages etc etc

My neighbour's son runs a pub and he and his wife are desperate.

They are opening on Saturday. They have taken huge steps to ensure safety and also spent a lot of money. They are keeping everything crossed that things go well and they can at last start to rebuild their lives

There are thousands of people in this position

We do have to get things going again

If we don't the future for thousands is looking very grim indeed

Of course life is of the utmost importance but if we all stay home, lives will still be lost, maybe not by the virus but as a direct consequence.

We love our local. We have missed the Sunday quiz night. However, it will be a long time before we venture down there. It's not worth it. They have so many rules and regulations in place that it won't be enjoyable anyway.

No I'm not looking forward to it if anything I'm dreading it! While DH as always, is quite keen, I wouldn't mind a drink outside a pub if we have sunny weather again, but at the moment that's as far as I would venture. I guess a lot will be younger people.

Do you expect everyone to behave themselves ? Not a chance !
There are hundreds who don't know how to and spoil it for everyone else. You'd think people hadn't been out before

gillybob

There is a little pub close to my DD’s house . The licensee has decided to take over a piece of waste land nearby and create an outside beer garden with over 20 large bench tables . My DD is very worried and I just know there will be big trouble on Saturday . I have spoken to the planners at the LA and also the licensing dept . Neither seem interested “they’re working from home” and seemed quite put out that I was concerned . They told me to ring the police if there was trouble . Brilliant , why didn’t I think of that?

That's dreadful gillybob ? even the two local pubs that do not serve food round here have a reservation only policy, table service only and two hour slots.

The gastro pub we are going to is owned by someone I have known since I was 6 years old, so our table is tucked away by an open window. I am nervous but I shall have to put my big girl pants on !!

I have turned down several socially distanced meet ups with my girlfriends as I was worried but gave my head a good wobble and met up with them yesterday. It really helped as we are all having the same thoughts and fears but realise that as this virus isn't going anywhere soon we just have to be responsible for ourselves, do what we feel comfortable with only.

There is a little pub close to my DD’s house . The licensee has decided to take over a piece of waste land nearby and create an outside beer garden with over 20 large bench tables . My DD is very worried and I just know there will be big trouble on Saturday . I have spoken to the planners at the LA and also the licensing dept . Neither seem interested “they’re working from home” and seemed quite put out that I was concerned . They told me to ring the police if there was trouble . Brilliant , why didn’t I think of that?

It's my birthday tomorrow but I'm with the watch and wait brigade and wont be going anywhere. Also it's supposed to be raining here so a bit soggy if you're hoping to eat outside!

We have booked at our local pub for Saturday teatime to eat early with the grandchildren but will be eating on the garden not inside