One restaurant proprietor who had seen hundreds of people cancel Christmas Eve reservations has claimed that she is left with an ‘handful’ reservation list for what should have been her busiest week.
Natalie Isaac owns Bar 44 restaurant in Bristol with her brothers. She warned that the situation, which is creating havoc within the hospitality sector, “cannot continue”.
They had already seen 3,200 cancellations up to last week. This number has risen further and they will lose thousands over the holiday period.
The family-owned chain has just one booking across its four locations due to cancellations caused by Covid concerns.
Their Christmas Eve calendar was full weeks ago, and Bar 44 is now expecting to get less customers than they originally anticipated.
This comes at a time when UK businesses have witnessed their takings drop due to the reduction of Christmas celebrations amid fears over Omicron spreading.
Natalie Isaac owns Bar 44 restaurant in Bristol with her brother and warns that current conditions wreaking havoc on the hospitality sector ‘cannot continue’
Hospitality leaders have given wider estimates that festive take-offs could plummet by as much as 40% during December. Pictured is a empty Bar 44, Bristol
Natalie, 44 Group Director, stated: “In the hospitality sector, we are fighting battles across so many fronts that we don’t know where to turn.
“Last week, we had 3200 cancellations and have received loads of bookings since.
“It is really difficult, we fully understand the current situation in public health and that people are being cautious or isolating.
“We’ve had to jump through hoops in order for March 2020 to remain open – social distancing and QR codes, masks – it can’t go on forever.
“We are a family-owned business, and our employees rely on us. In this situation the worry never leaves your head.
Industry experts fear the alarmist messages from the Government about Omicron mutation strain may be impacting customer confidence in a time when bars and restaurants should be at their peak.
Festive takings will fall up to 40% in December. This could cripple venues that have survived without major disruptions during previous lockdowns.
Natalie shared how the four Cowbridge restaurants, Penarth Penarth Penarth and Bristol are typically full on Christmas Eve.
Actually, they had been there for a while back – now, however, only ‘a handful’ of reservations remain, after several groups including corporate reservations have cancelled their tables.
Chinatown was closed in London’s Soho on Wednesday night, as London seemed like a ghost city just days before Christmas
It was expected that the Cardiff branch would see over 400 people book to dine and wine on Christmas Eve, but only 60 people will be coming this year.
Natalie, worried said that she was concerned because “Weeks back we had been fully booked on this date. But now it’s almost empty.”
According to her, their earnings are 60% lower than what they expected at this point in the year.
Another problem for this family-run restaurant is that people “assuming” they know you’ve cancelled without informing the restaurant – which means money gets wasted when stocks go to waste.
The bumper December sales would be enough to cover January and February’s quiet periods, but she said this year there won’t be much.
Economists have now estimated that restrictions in place across the UK have already cost the hospitality and retail sectors £2.7billion this month.
An analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research has found that bars and nightclubs would lose £450million in earnings on New Year’s Eve alone if they are forced to close, while Government limits on family events on December 31 could take a further £100million out of the economy.
Natalie stated, “The worry is genuinely not leaving your head. Now we are worried whether or not we will be heading into another lockdown.”
“We have people who are dependent on us. They’re working overtime because they don’t have customers.
“We would love to cover your entire wage, but we aren’t big enough to do so – we have very little cash.
“It’s not about losing, at this point.
Natalie hopes that the New Year will bring new opportunities for them to recover their losses and grow as a company.
She stated, “The hospitality industry is truly amazing.
“It is a highly adaptive and creative sector and we try to find innovative ways to bounceback.
“But, at the moment there are many very concerned people, including ourselves.”