After the release of the most recent work-from-home guidance, restaurants have seen a surge in takeaway sales.
Leaders in hospitality said that customers who need delivery services have seen a dramatic increase outside the major metropolitan areas since the introduction of new restrictions.
The claim was made that central London orders have gone up since Christmas when employees moved to the capital.
This comes just as businesses demand a roadmap’ back to normality, as they face another setback due to curbs.
According to Bosses, they require support through ‘grants rates relief or VAT relief’ in order to remain afloat amid the continuing pandemic.
Rishi Sunak is weighing up a VAT cut and cash boost for the ailing pubs and restaurants after jetting back to the UK from a ‘long planned’ California break.
The Chancellor is under fire from hospitality firms having only just returned from the ‘work trip’ to the US to meet tech bosses despite the threat of Omicron.
Takeaway sales have surged as cities emptied of workers after the latest work from home guidance was issued. Pictured: The Piccadilly Line this morning
Hospitality leaders said customers seeking delivery had skyrocketed outside major areas following the new restrictions. Pictured: The Piccadilly Line this morning
They said orders away from central London have gone up as employees left the capital for Christmas. Pictured: The Piccadilly Line this morning
A normally busy Hatton Cross bus station is quiet as few people make their way into London this morning
It comes as businesses demanded a ‘roadmap’ back to normality as they faced another hammer blow due to the curbs. Pictured: The Tube this morning
Bosses said they needed support in the form of ‘grants, rates relief or VAT relief’ to keep them afloat as the pandemic drags on. Pictured: The Tube this morning
Chairman of Franco Manca owners Fulham Shore David Page told the Today programme: ‘Chris Whitty made his statement and our sales in our 20 city centric restaurants went down but then our sales on the south coast and all around England went up, exactly the same as last time.
‘We’ve got a geographical spread so that helps us. I mean if you’re exposed to central London and you’ve only got one or two sites then you’re in trouble at the moment.
‘Everybody’s in pain at the moment. we’ve switched to takeaway only in some branches because of Covid staff are self isolating.’
He went on: ‘I think if you want a choice of restaurants the Chancellor needs to do something very very quickly. I’m not sure any of the Cabinet understand cash flow.
‘And cash flow is the problem at the moment in the last week or two and over the next ten days and especially nearer London and nearer the city centres these businesses have no cash flow, they’re paying staff, they’ve got to pay their suppliers, it’s a bit of a disaster area for smaller businesses.’
Delivery and takeaway sales for last month showed they have rocketed 97 per cent on pre-pandemic levels.
CGA & Slerp Hospitality at Home Tracker found sales in November were just one per cent below 2020’s figure.
Delivery sales were 192 per cent higher than in 2019, which is far higher than the 25 per cent growth in takeaways.
The research showed lockdowns and tighter controls on movement had reflected the shift.
Rishi, who returned to Britain from California on a “long-planned” vacation, is considering a cut in VAT and a cash injection for the struggling pubs. Pictured this morning: Tube
A few early morning riders hopped on the Piccadilly Line this morning as they headed out of the capital
Catherine McGuinness, policy chair of the City of London Corporation, said especially firms in central London are ‘in trouble’. Pictured this morning: Tube
Apple Mobility Data showed a general rise in people out and about in the capital despite restrictions
Tom Tom traffic data showed there was a huge dip in people on the roads in the capital on Monday as new work from home guidance came in
The Tom Tom traffic data showed there were few even out and about in London on Sunday
Businesses said the government has to bring in a ‘roadmap’ back to normality to save the hospitality industry.
Catherine McGuinness (political chair of City of London Corporation), said central London businesses are in ‘trouble’.
According to her, “It would be the busiest season of the year for our hotel sector. And that was what we saw until last week. It’s now gone dead.”
“If you live in London’s central area, then you will need immediate help. The number of businesses within the region has led us to write the Chancellor for assistance.
“Whether it’s rates relief, grants or VAT relief, we see firms who have really managed to get by but will fail if they continue to struggle.”
“Tell your office workers to go home for their health, and it’s important. But this is cutting off the demand.”
She said, “What they want is support.” In a complete lockdown, what would we really want is clarity from the government about the road map and a look at the future of the economy.
Let’s examine the data to determine if there is a way we can safely get them into the office. We need to get them back as soon as possible.
She added: ‘So businesses will need to adapt to the new normal when we finally get there, but what’s clear to us from all that we both hear and all that we see in terms of planning applications is that the office has a future long ahead of it.’
Mr Sunak is weighing up a VAT cut and cash boost for ailing pubs and restaurants suffering from the spread of Omicron.
Hatton Cross and Bus Station were silent as some people made it to London.
Even though the roads were quieter than normal, some people still drove into the centre of the city on Monday morning
Photo of Rishi Sunak, Chancellor, at Heathrow Airport upon his return from California on a long-planned work trip
After just returning from his ‘work trip” to the US, the Chancellor has been under attack from many hospitality companies.
He was called “California’s Chancellor” by Mr Sunak, as only a handful revellers enjoyed festive nights in major UK cities.
Boris Johnson advised citizens to exercise caution over festive periods, while Professor Whitty called for citizens to restrict their socializing.
However, Mr Sunak was able to return to the UK for virtual discussions with the Prime Minister and officials about details of the new possible bailout.
The Treasury is trying to ‘build up a precise picture about crunch points’ for businesses to establish what is required, a source told the Telegraph.
This comes after an analysis by the Tory think tank, warning that Government bailouts had ‘fostered entitlement’ and made it ‘highly difficult to restore expectations.
The rise of Omicron has caused pubs to lose all of their Christmas bookings almost overnight.
Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin also lashed out at ministers for pursuing ‘lockdown by stealth’, with pubs saying the new guidance had persuaded Many punters decided that their festivities were not worthwhile.
One London hotel told MailOnline it was expecting £100,000 worth of losses from cancelled events, rooms and covers – and said many staff were fearing for their jobs given the extent the industry relies on a lucrative Christmas period.
Simon Clarke, Chief Secretary of the Treasury and the Chancellor, called the hospitality heads earlier this week.
Downing Street stated that some of those participating were Prezzo and Black Sheep Brewery. Nando’s and Greene King also participated. Whitbread and Adnams are members of the Confederation of British Industry, British Chambers of Commerce and Federation of Wholesale Distributors.
Sajid Javid, who was criticizing unvaccinated individuals for not getting protected today revealed that nearly one million coronavirus jabs have been delivered in England.
Tweeted by the Health Secretary, it stated that 906,656 new people had been vaccinated. More than 830,000 have received booster jabs.
Boris Johnson is under increasing pressure to stop imposing lockdown restrictions which will ruin Christmas 2012 for the second straight year
In order to keep afloat, the survivors have requested a new support package that is similar to what was provided during the pandemic.
However, a Government source informed The Times that they are ‘not in a similar financial situation’. They would also need to be very precise regarding the funding.
To mitigate the loss of businesses during a busy holiday period, some industry organizations have called for an increase in cash grants.
Others have suggested that Mr Sunak was urged to restore the 5 per cent VAT in an emergency for tourism and hospitality firms, and also to reinstate 100 percent relief for retailers.
Sunak was reported to be looking at options such as a new emergency VAT reduction and further cash injections.
The Chancellor also considers what assistance might be necessary if additional restrictions are implemented.
It was revealed that the PM’s scheme to boost every adult by the end the year had fallen into chaos.
The pledge to jab 1milliom adults a day has still not been hit and it means 2.1million adults must receive a booster every day – including on Christmas Day.
According to official figures, 986 689 children were vaccinated each day on Saturday. This includes 904,598 who received booster jabs.
Today’s figures by UKHSA show that Omicron confirmed cases increased in England by 69% compared to the previous day. The numbers rose from 9,427 up to 23,168
According to official data, the number of covid hospital admissions has risen by more than three times in one week in London’s Omicron Hotspot.
Sajid Javid had previously stated that 906,656 received their vaccines and 830,000 got boosters. However, the numbers were later updated on Sunday to reflect the increased number.
This means that 28million UK residents have been given a booster shot, although 26 million more people are not eligible for one.
This means that more than 2 million adults must be vaccinated each day to meet the PM’s target.
In tandem, the booster crisis and wider Covid chaos on Downing Street concern whether or not to lock down Britain before Christmas are part of the larger Covid chaos.
Johnson had to resist the pressure of imposing restrictions that would ruin the holiday break for the second straight year.
Last night, Tory MPs stated that any attempts to make rules more stringent before Christmas would result in letters requesting to have Mr Johnson removed as leader of the party.
Three scenarios are being considered by the PM to address Omicron. These include restrictions on mixing indoors within England, barricades on restaurants and pubs, as well as a lockdown immediately.
Yesterday’s speech by Mr Javid was not a rejection of Covid measures becoming effective before Christmas Day.
Ministers said they would not support new curbs. Rishi Sunak, it is believed, is suggesting that restrictions should be planned out in advance. Liz Truss however says she’s uncomfortable with current curbs.
A Cabinet minister even said they would resign if there was another lockdown by the PM to stop the spread of Covid-19.
The Mirror reports that Johnson, who repeatedly insists Christmas will not be cancelled, has cleared his schedule today to attend emergency meetings with scientists, his advisers, and other officials.
Britain yesterday recorded 82,886 Covid cases, with the number of infections rising by 32,473, or 64.4 per cent, in seven days.
It is still lower than Saturday’s 90,418. There were 45 deaths, which is a decline of 66 compared to last week’s number of 111. It also represents a 59.5 percent decrease.
And cases of the Omicron variant rose by 50 per cent in just 24 hours to 37,101 as the UK Health Security Agency confirmed a further 12,133 cases.