Pub chiefs react to decision to allow alcohol takeaway service during second lockdown in South Tyneside

The relaxation of service restrictions, which has been described as a U-turn of sorts, was confirmed on Tuesday evening as landlords were reeling from the announcement of a second nationwide quarantine.

Customers will now be able to collect pre-ordered alcohol from pubs and licenced restaurants during the month-long lockdown, as long as they do not enter the premises.

Pub bosses in South Tyneside said, however, that they were awaiting clarification as to whether draught collections would be covered by the easing of the service rules.

Stephen Sullivan, owner of Ziggy’s Bar in South Shields, says the measure would still not be enough to allow pubs like his, which do not serve food, to operate ‘viably’ in commercial terms.

"While it looks good that the Government is saying this, you couldn’t afford to employ staff to sit there all day operating a takeaway service,” he told The Gazette.

"So I’m not sure who this is supposed to benefit – it’s certainly not helping ‘wet pubs’ like us.

"I guess if you’re serving takeaway food, then it might help. But people are not going to ‘click and collect’ for a bottle or a pint of Budweiser when they can get it cheaper in the supermarkets.

"It’s still virtually impossible for wet pubs to operate because of the additional costs. If you were doing deliveries, you’d also have to add paying drivers, staff and running costs for the building to your overall spend. It’s just not a viable thing to do.”

Elsewhere, Carl Mowatt, the manager of the Lakeside Inn, near Jarrow’s Fellgate Estate, told The Gazette earlier this week that the venue was planning to launch a takeaway food service as of today.

Mr Mowatt believes the scope afforded by the new easing of rules for pub/bar takeaway services is ‘good news for everyone’.

He said: "This is good news for customers and for hospitality businesses alike, as it makes us a one-stop shop now.

"It means people can get everything they want in one go. They can get their favourite dish promotion and a nice bottle of plonk to wash it down.”

National chairman Nik Antona said after the Tuesday u-turn: “This is a vital lifeline for local pubs and breweries across England over the coming four weeks, giving them a lifeline of income and allowing people to support local businesses.

“Camra continues to call on the Government to bring in a comprehensive, long-term financial support package to support all pubs and breweries through the lockdown and the tough months that will follow this winter.

Details of the proposed regulations say that a restricted business can only sell alcohol for off-premises consumption by “making deliveries in response to orders received” online, by phone, including text message, or by post.

The regulations also explain that pre-ordered drinks can be sold to, and collected by, a customer “provided the purchaser does not enter inside the premises to do so”.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said: “Public health and safety remains our number one priority and that is why pubs and other hospitality venues cannot serve alcohol on site to take away to prevent people from gathering outside their premises.

“However, they can sell alcohol as part of delivery services, including through click and collect, over the telephone and by other remote methods of ordering for collection, provided customers do not congregate as groups once they have picked up their order.”

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