Greenhouse-style dining pods could become the public dining rooms of the future after a rural pub installed them in its grounds to facilitate socially-distanced dining.
The Cartford Inn in Little Eccleston, Lancashire, said it had taken inspiration from Mediamatic in Amsterdam, which launched ‘quarantine greenhouses’ last month.
The country inn said the development was ‘ideal for the more vulnerable guests’ and each of the glass houses will have room for four diners when it reopens.
It comes as Westminster City Council revealed plans to widen pavements for more outdoor dining in London’s West End by implementing temporary road closures.
The Cartford Inn in Little Eccleston, Lancashire, has installed greenhouse-style dining pods
Bosses at the Cartford Inn said the development was ‘ideal for the more vulnerable guests’
The hospitality industry is poised for a potential reopening on July 4, although restaurants and hotels are still waiting for clear guidelines from the Government.
Despite this, many businesses are beginning to think how they can safely operate once they are allowed to open their doors again.
The industry is also hoping to see a reduction in the current two metre distancing measure, which is double that recommended by the World Health Organisation.
A Cartford Inn spokesman said: ‘Inspired by Amsterdam. What I originally thought was hideous, I am now looking forward to opening them soon. Not in situ yet, but ideal for the more vulnerable guests. We will be taking bookings very soon.’
Tourism body Visit Lancashire praised the move, saying The Cartford Arms was ‘making the absolute best of a bad situation’.
Customers enjoy the ‘quarantine greenhouses’ set up at Mediamatic in Amsterdam on June 3
The quarantine greenhouses at Mediamatic restaurant in Amsterdam, pictured on June 3
Mediamatic has erected five separated dining pods and believes they could be the future of dining out. The glass structures are right on the canalside, lit only by candlelight.
Named Serres Séparées, meaning ‘separate room’ in French, the restaurant hopes that the greenhouses will allow customers to eat safely and securely while abiding with social distancing rules.
It is currently testing them out, and plans to open them with a fully plant-based menu when granted permission. Waiters pass through dishes from a safe distance, and the restaurant will only allow people dining together who live in the same house.
Earlier this month Greene King announced a new ‘safe socialising’ layout to its 1,700 pubs as preparations ratchet up to serve customers from July 4.
The UK pub giant said it has invested £15million into pub safety, including protective measures for staff and customers such as Perspex screens and visors.
Tables will be spaced out in line with any government guidelines and customers will be encouraged to pre-book a table rather than stand at the bar, it said.
Customers will pay using a new app as Greene King pubs make a full transition towards ‘card only’ tills, a spokesman explained.
People will even have to get used to using new door handles which require the use of elbows to open, in a push to make the pubs ‘hygiene friendly’.
Meanwhile the bosses of 50 breweries and pub chains wrote to Boris Johnson last night to demand he confirm by tomorrow exactly when pubs can reopen.
They said the sector had reached ‘crisis point’ and a date was needed so pubs can be made ready and brewers can brew fresh beer for them.
Without this certainty by the end of this week, they say many businesses will be forced to cut costs to ensure their survival – potentially resulting in hundreds of thousands of job losses and pub closures.
The warning comes from firms who collectively brew 90 per cent of the beer in Britain and own 20,000 of its pubs.
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: ‘Britain’s 47,000 pubs and 2,000 brewers have reached a critical moment and need a definitive date on when pubs can reopen.
‘Our sector is burning through £100million a month just trying to survive with no cash coming in.
‘Without a confirmed date, our sector is going to have to make some big decisions this week on furloughed staff and when reopening is feasible, with a further wave of redundancies likely. Hundreds of thousands of jobs could be lost.
Wetherspoon pubs will be very different places when they reopen and the chain has said it will spend £11million getting them
UK pub giant Greene King announced a new ‘safe socialising’ layout to its 1,700 pubs as preparations ratchet up to serve customers from July 4
Tables will be spaced out in line with any government guidelines and customers will be encouraged to pre-book a table rather than stand at the bar, Greene King said
‘Our message to the Prime Minister is clear: stop keeping our sector in limbo. Give us the clear date we need for reopening.’
Kevin Georgel of St Austell Brewery, said: ‘On average we need three weeks to brew cask ale and distribute it. Lager production takes even longer. With pubs potentially opening in less than three weeks, we’ve had no choice but to start brewing in preparation.
‘If pubs are not allowed to open on July 4 this will be a huge and wasted cost to us, during a time that we are fighting for survival.’
Ralph Findlay of Marston’s, said: ‘This week, I must decide whether we bring staff back from furlough and invest in the new safety protocols our pubs will require.
‘Without an immediate and definitive confirmation from the Government on timing, I can’t afford to bring our staff back to work. We need the Government to commit to opening on July 4 – now.’
London’s new open-air party zone: Covent Garden, Soho, Mayfair and Marylebone will be transformed into an outdoor dining district this summer to prevent hundreds of pubs, restaurants and bars going bust
London’s West End is set to be transformed into a ‘continental-style’ outdoor dining district this summer to prevent hundreds of pubs, restaurants and bars from going bust.
Areas most popular with tourists – including Covent Garden, Soho, Mayfair and Marylebone – are among those targeted in the ambitious plans, which will include extensive temporary road closures.
Venues will be given permission to put tables and chairs outside on the pavement and even in the road from July 4, which is the date the government has given for the hospitality sector to reopen.
Venues will be given permission to put tables and chairs outside on the pavement and even in the road from July 4
Areas most popular with tourists – including Covent Garden, Soho, Mayfair and Marylebone – are among those targeted in the ambitious plans, which will include extensive temporary road closures
Popular areas of London’s West End including Covent Garden, Soho and Chinatown are all affected by the new proposals
This map shows the roads affected by the proposals. Each of the numbers on the map corresponds to those in the box, below
Frith Street in Soho, which is pictured on March 21 just before the start of lockdown, is among those that will be shut to traffic
This restaurant on Gerrard Street in London’s Chinatown is among those in an area which will be temporarily closed to traffic
Several key routes, including Oxford Street, Dean Street and Old Compton Street in Soho will be closed to traffic altogether for part of the day to allow for proper social distancing.
The closures will be from 11am to 11pm in Covent Garden and 5pm to 11pm in Soho during the week and then from midday to 11pm on Saturdays.
Westminster Council officials hope the plans will enable more than 3,700 licensed premises to reopen next month, with landlords allowed to apply for a ‘temporary events notice’ to enable them to put chairs outside.
A relaxation of planning laws will also allow pubs to convert car parks and rooftops into drinking areas. Outdoor weddings will be permitted in gazebos as long as at least two sides are open, but not in enclosed marquees.
The news will be a boost to restaurant owners including David Moore, who owns the Michelin-starred Pied à Terre on Charlotte Street. He told the Evening Standard: ‘It looks like they are doing something positive.
‘Of course Westminster have the right to change anything and we’ll see how closely this is policed as they do usually police things strictly. It’s a welcome move for people who can move their dining outside.’
It is unclear whether guests will be allowed to smoke while sitting outside.
On the point of drinkers being allowed to stand up, a council spokesman said: ‘We are not proposing to ban vertical drinking. Where a licence already allows for customers to stand outside drinking, this will still be permitted and will not change, as long as social distancing rules can be maintained.
‘However, we are supporting the hospitality industry with plans for additional tables and chairs for such establishments in dozens of streets. This will be possible through closing roads and extending pavements on a temporary basis.
‘What we are not proposing is any extension into these temporary areas for vertical, standing up, drinking. Where tables and chairs take up the pavement and road pace there will be insufficient room for vertical drinking as well without jeopardising social distancing rules.’
Council leader Rachael Robathan said: ‘The hospitality sector is vital to Westminster’s economy with more than 3,000 bars and restaurants.
A worker places a sign on a street in Westminster reminding people to maintain two metres for social distancing
A woman adjusts a window display at a cafe in Westminster which is soon expected to open with restrictions next month
‘They, and our many other attractions, are the reason people fly thousands of miles to enjoy the West End. So we are doing what we can to support our hospitality business through the vital summer months and into the autumn.
‘The residents’ groups we have spoken to have been very supportive as they know this is a temporary measure for the benefit of all of Westminster.
‘The West End in particular is a unique global draw, and I am confident we can give it and our other famous locations a continental sheen that visitors, residents and regulars alike will enjoy.’
It comes after Boris Johnson and his top scientist last night gave the clearest signal yet that the two-metre rule will soon be ditched. Asked at the daily Downing Street press conference, the Prime Minister said: ‘Watch this space.’
Westminster Council provided this advice for businesses enquiring about how the tables and chairs licences will work
And Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, said the rule was not ‘absolute’ and there were ways it could be changed.
He said the risk of catching coronavirus could be reduced by Britons sitting side by side rather than face to face at work, or by improving ventilation inside. It suggests that if certain other safety measures are put in place, the rule could be reduced to one or 1.5 metres as in other countries.
At the weekend Downing Street announced the creation of a panel to review the two-metre rule. Economists were invited as well as scientists amid frustration that the Sage committee was not considering the impact of continued lockdown on jobs and businesses.
Downing Street has said the panel would report in time for July 4, the earliest date for the reopening of pubs and restaurants.
Restaurants and pubs will open their loos but marshalls will police customers’ use as they begin catering for al-fresco dining – amid calls for public toilets to open
Britons visiting pubs or restaurants will be able to use the toilets inside when they reopen but will have to maintain social distancing, it was revealed today.
Westminster Council said it can ‘see no reason why existing toilet facilities inside licensed premises can’t be used by customers’ when London’s West End reopens.
But businesses in the capital, as well as further afield, will be expected to manage queues with marshals, who will police the use of indoor toilets to ensure social distancing measures are followed.
It comes amid calls for public toilets to be reopened to help the elderly, mothers with babies and sufferers of conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) get back to normality and visit shops.
A Westminster Council spokesman said: ‘The council has reviewed the government Covid guidance and can see no reason why existing toilet facilities inside licensed premises can’t be used by customers.
Pub chain Greene King revealed there will be new one-in-one-out red and green indicators at the entrances to the toilets so customers can flip the indicator with their elbow as they enter and exit, with toilets cleaned every 15 minutes
‘On this basis the council does not propose to provide additional facilities at this time, however, should the situation change then consideration would be given to the provision of additional temporary toilets for patrons.
‘In this circumstance additional temporary toilets could be provided but please be aware that there would be a cost for landowners, business improvement districts or businesses to enable this to happen.
‘Additionally, businesses would be expected to provide marshalling of queues and to promote social distancing measures.’
Although shops opened this week, many people are thought to have stayed away because of fears over a lack of toilet facilities.
Alison Reid, chief executive of The IBS Network, said: ‘Our members have told us that unless public toilets reopen they will still be unable to venture out.
‘Many people with IBS need urgent access to toilet facilities when they are away from their home.Anxiety plays a part in the condition and can trigger a flare-up and not knowing where the nearest toilet is will exacerbate this fear.’
Sarah Hollobone, of Crohn’s & Colitis UK, said the lack of toilets were forcing potential customers with the conditions ‘further into the shadows’ and heightening their isolation, despite their desire to go out and shop.
Alison Reid, chief executive of The IBS Network, said: ‘Our members have told us that unless public toilets reopen they will still be unable to venture out.’
Officials yesterday provided a blueprint for pubs, bars and restaurants to reopen with extra space for seating outside and temporary road closures to facilitate this.
Greene King announced a new ‘safe socialising’ layout to its 1,700 pubs as preparations ratchet up to serve customers from July 4.
On its toilet policy, it revealed there will be new one-in-one-out red and green indicators at the entrances to the toilets so customers can flip the indicator with their elbow as they enter and exit, with toilets cleaned every 15 minutes.
Westminster council has now revealed that existing toilets should reopen from July 4.
The council is not planning to install additional temporary toilets, but will consider this if needed – and said it would pass on the cost to landowners or businesses.
Council bosses also said all public toilets are open and operating normally except for the Broadwick Street site in Soho, with entrance fees temporarily suspended.
They are aiming to ensure people can access toilets more easily, with additional staff deployed to monitor cleanliness standards and deter anti-social behaviour.
Meanwhile the Government has urged councils to reopen public toilets.
With the easing of lockdown measures, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden was questioned at the Downing Street press conference about the risk that parks and streets could be turned into cesspits if public toilets are not open.
He said: ‘I know that the Secretary of State for MHCLG (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) has set very clear guidance for local authorities that they should be opening those toilets and I very much agree with that.’
Despite non-essential shops being allowed to reopen and a possible boost for the hospitality and tourism sector from July 4, there may be problems for customers who want to spend a penny as not all public toilets are open.
It comes as some toilets in the Royal Parks are reopening.
A statement on the Royal Parks website says: ‘A number of public toilets across our parks remain temporarily closed, but we are now in a position to gradually reopen them with additional public safety measures in place.’
Risk assessments and whether social distancing measures can be maintained will be among some of the key factors for councils deciding about making public toilets available, according to the Local Government Association.
Birmingham City Council has said that public toilets in the city are not expected to open until July as contractors are awaiting a delivery of personal protective equipment.
Liverpool City Council said there will be a ‘limited number’ of public toilets located at train stations and at Liverpool One’s Information Centre, adding that the number of people entering the toilets will also be limited.
The council also said the information centre toilets will be closed for short periods every hour for cleaning which will result in reduced capacity.
Public toilets are open in York complete with changes to the facilities including automatic flushes, automatic water and soap dispensers, replacing hand dryers with hand towels, and more regular and increased cleaning.
Users will see clear guidance at the toilets such as social distancing floor stickers, advice on how to wash hands or use hand sanitiser, and instructions on not touching surfaces or handles, the council in York said.
The MHCLG has said that while decisions to reopen public toilets are for councils, it encourages them to open ‘wherever possible’.
Separately, Mr Dowden warned the reopening of the British tourism industry could be delayed beyond July 4.
Hotels, campsites and guesthouses have been taking bookings from the start of next month after Boris Johnson’s ‘road map’ for exiting lockdown indicated that the tourism ban could end then.
But with the deadline barely a fortnight away, Oliver Dowden last night said it was still too early to say whether Britain’s beleaguered tourist businesses would finally be able to open their doors.
Officials also warned that there could be a ‘phased return’, with relatively low-risk accommodation like campsites, caravan parks and self-catering flats and cottages allowed to reopen before hotels and bed and breakfasts, which make greater use of shared facilities.
Ministers are expected to make a final decision next week on whether to give the green light for the domestic tourist industry and the wider hospitality sector to reopen on July 4.