'Gutted and disappointed' - Edinburgh pubs react to Nicola Sturgeon's phase two announcement

Pubs and restaurants across Edinburgh have been left devastated after Nicola Sturgeon announced beer gardens and outdoor spaces for eating will not be allowed to reopen as the country enters phase two of exiting lockdown.

The First Minister said today that all non-essential retail can reopen as of June 29 provided social distancing measures are in place, and certain health practices are allowed to resume service.

Yet she remained cautious on the reopening of restaurant and pub outdoor spaces in phase two given venues such as bars and pubs have been flagged as “hotspots for transmission of the virus” according to recent scientific evidence.

Ms Sturgeon assured the hospitality sector that she is hoping to make a final decision on when their outdoor setups can reopen on July 2.

Pub and restaurant staff have since reacted to the First Minister’s announcement saying they feel “disappointed” as many had prepared their outdoor spaces to reopen this weekend with social distancing measures in place.

Paul Demarco, from Edinburgh Corn Exchange, said employees are “absolutely gutted” beer gardens were not given the go ahead to resume service.

In a video message to customers on Facebook he said: “I heard the announcement from the First Minister and we certainly are not going to be reopening tomorrow and we don’t know when it’s going to be.

“Obviously we are absolutely gutted and disappointed.

“Honestly, I thought it was going to happen but it’s not. If it was a week away then that would be fine, but at the moment it looks like it’s going to be at least two or three weeks away at the very least right now.”

During his video message Paul filmed areas of the venue which have been altered to make the space safe with various social distancing measures in place.

“We were all ready to provide socially distance toilets and had a beer delivery so we were ready to serve beer,” he added.

“We were a bit hasty probably, jumped the gun, went to early, but you know what we are desperate to reopen, we need to get back working again, we need the venue to be open, we need to keep people in jobs, the business needs to survive – two and a half months with no income – it’s been really difficult.

“On behalf of me and everyone at the Corn Exchange we look forward to seeing you soon.”

Pub owners at the Tally Ho Bar in Winchburgh had to cancel bookings they were taking in advance with a view to reopening this weekend.

The bar’s staff said Nicola Sturgeon’s decision was “bizarre” given other businesses such as non-essential shops were allowed to reopen.

In a message on Facebook the pub’s team said: “Unfortunately, due to the bizarre stance of the First Minister that it will be safer to go inside to shop and not sit outside in beer gardens (which scientists say is safer) we will not be able to open this weekend.

“When we can reopen is now uncertain as the First Minister has not provided much more guidance.

“We are therefore on hold for the moment and will need to cancel all table bookings we have currently received.

“With the above in mind we really need your continued support by ordering takeaways so we can continue to pay our staff and rent etc.

“Thank you for all of your support to date and moving forward.”

Habibur Khan, who has recently built a new outdoor dining area for his restaurant Radhuni in Loanhead, said: “The First Minister’s failure to give the go-ahead from

tomorrow is a major disappointment for the hospitality industry.

“We had been ready to celebrate in style, especially with our new roof.

“Even in Summer Scotland’s weather can be unpredictable so we went to the considerable expense of fitting a roof. It’s rainproof and windproof which greatly extends our service availability.

“While I’m dismayed at the delay we respect the need to protect the public. Our paramount objective is to keep customers safe.”

Outhouse in Broughton Street Lane has had to cancel beer orders that were made in the hope of beer gardens reopening this weekend.

Staff responded to Ms Sturgeon’s statement via Facebook saying: "To be honest we’re not surprised.

“I know Some in the trade expected to open tomorrow. We took quite a few enquiries about bookings for this weekend. Our government has always taken the cautious approach. I therefore never expected us to have our beer gardens open before England’s.

“We’ve cancelled the proposed beer order for Monday and hope to reorder ASAP.

“The affects are obviously not being able to trade, not take our staff off furlough and not able to start paying the mounting bills."

Emma McClarkin CEO of the Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA) said the organisation is prepared to engage with the Scottish Government and its new measures to help pubs reopen in a safe manner, as soon as possible.

She said with the industry going three months without any customers, the opportunity to reopen cannot come soon enough.

In response to Ms Sturgeon’s statement she said: “Pubs and bars across Scotland will be somewhat disappointed by this announcement, with many expecting to be given a definitive date today for re-opening their outdoor space to allow them to start preparing to open again. That’s sadly not the case, with these businesses now having to wait a further two weeks before any clarity on when they can welcome back their customers into beer gardens and other outdoor areas.

“The First Minister committed the Government to working with our industry over the next two weeks and we will enthusiastically engage in that to get our pubs and bars re-open as soon as possible. With our industry now going three months without any customers and fighting for survival, that opportunity cannot come soon enough.

“While the re-opening of outdoor space would provide some relief to parts of our sector, the vast majority of pubs will be looking towards the 15th July for the full re-opening. Even then, there remains issues for our sector that need to be addressed to properly unlock the economic boost our pubs can contribute to the national economy.

“Continuing to operate at a two metre social distance will make opening financially unviable for many and could results in over 23,600 job losses in our sector alone. A survey of our members shows that moving to the World Health Organisation backed one metre distance that many other countries have adopted would allow the majority of premises to safely open their doors again.”