Here we go again. The hospitality industry is bracing itself for a round of Omicron-related cancellations at its busiest time of the year.
Plyvine Catering, based in the Midlands, reported on Twitter that it has had £20,000 worth of cancellations in the last two weeks and its experience does not seem untypical, with reports of schools cancelling Christmas events and offices opting not to hold a party this year.
Another cancellation this morning school ball 200 people ..10 days notice
— Plyvine Catering Ltd (@Plyvine) November 30, 2021
The BBC, meanwhile, reported that Damian Wawrzyniak, an award-winning chef, had 20 cancellations over the weekend, mostly for Christmas parties.
“Customers were phoning to tell us they weren't sure what was going to happen in a few weeks so they'd rather cancel now,” the chef told the BBC.
“We won't be able to survive without that Christmas trade,” Wawryzniak said.
Meanwhile, Dr Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency who is also the head of NHS Test and Trace, said “not socialising when we don't particularly need to” could be helpful in combatting the spread of the virus.
Cue another round of calls for assistance from the hospitality industry, although hopefully not of the misguided “eat out to help out” sort that the chancellor of the exchequer, Rishi Sunak, promoted.
Sacha Lord, Greater Manchester's Night Time Economy Adviser, warned that if the hospitality sector is not supported and effectively enters shutdown in December, “it will be the final nail in the coffin for many of our beloved venues”.
'With the news of the Omicron variant, pubs, bars and restaurants are already seeing cancellations,” he warned.
Stosie Madi, who runs a gastropub in Newton-in-Bowland in Lancashire told The Guardian newspaper, “the worst thing that could happen is if we’re stopped from trading”.
“This year they’ve said they won’t lock us down again but you know what he [Johnson] is like. You never know how quickly he changes his mood. If we had to close down completely, that would be a disaster. I don’t know if I could pull the strength out for that,” she said.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade body UKHospitality, conceded that the introduction of compulsory mask-wearing in shops and on public transport could have a knock-on effect on consumers' confidence to venture out to pubs and restaurants.
“There’s no doubt there will be a chilling effect on confidence, while travel restrictions may mean some bookings are being cancelled,” she said.
She called on the government to trust the hospitality industry to behave sensibly and observed that the industry has already invested heavily in making its venues safer for customers.
The effect on announcements about Omicron very real and immediate for many businesses in hospitality - and the cost implications are significant on businesses that have already struggled through 18 months of losses https://t.co/iq8yQAnJoT
— Kate Nicholls (@UKHospKate) November 30, 2021