Feeling anxious about the Tiers announced today.

Oh please not Dominic Cummings again. Just wish I had a £1 for every time his name comes up on this site! If people are going to break the rules they will do so regardless of Cummings. If people don’t go to pubs when they are open then they will close anyway and people will lose their jobs. But I think that there should be limits on numbers.

During the eighties and nineties I had my own catering business and a pub with a restaurant.

One thing that I haven't seen suggested or promoted when struggling publicans are interviewed is a tie up between the two. This is something that was often relied upon during the nineties recession.

Pubs have been told they need to serve a meal to be able to serve alcohol but they don't have the facilities or environmental health approval/ food handlers' certificates etc. They are already struggling to survive.

They should contact a local caterer who is also struggling due to cancelled events. They have all the required certification and outside catering equipment. If they deliver hot food on a daily basis it can be served within the necessary time limit. We used to do this with pubs who were undergoing kitchen refurbishments so they could keep their customers coming through the doors.

It's a win win situation.

Sounds like a good plan merlotgran. Yes it is surprising no one has come up with the idea.

Been there, got all the T shirts, Gwyneth.

merlotgran can you phone Boris?
I think he needs some ideas.

A number of pubs near me have linked up with outside caterers to provide cooked meals. In tier three our pubs will remain closed but one pub has got a marquee which opens onto a road with lots of footfall and serves breakfast, hot drinks and takeaway meals to passers by. Another has a food wagon in the car park entrance selling hot food and drinks to cars or walkers. Yet another has a catering company providing based hot meals for takeaways, collected from the pub window.

It would be better for the publicans if we were in tier 2 where people can enjoy a sit down meal but they are doing their best to keep going.

But I have to say the mood here in Stockport is very low and many people are cross that our infection rate is lower than some tier 2 areas yet we are essentially still in lockdown after months of extra restrictions. We are lumped with Greater Manchester which does have some areas with very high infection rates so we just have to grit our teeth and hope that we can come out of tier 3 sometime in the future.