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Your pub and hospitality experience as the Covid restrictions ease

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Yew

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I'm a keen craft beer drinker, so I've been known to pay that for a third (usually a 10-12% stout or TIPA though). But its when I pay something stupid like £7 for a branded lager that I draw the line.

Though if you want to see expensive, when I was in Sudan last year the hotel I stayed in had a stash of 330ml cans of Kroenenbourg (not refrigerated!) behind the counter. $20 a pop. I was gasping for beer, but I declined. If it was cold I might have broken though.
Head a few miles south to Uganda, big bottles of Nile Special for around 60p :)
 
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52290

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Just before Covid struck Sam Smith's Old Brewery bitter went up from £2 to £3 a pint all in one go.
 

Cdd89

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I have had not one but two “you must self isolate” app pings in the last week (and I’ve not been out that much!). All my LFD tests are returning negative and I’m getting a bit fed up with it. I suspect they are hospitality related, based on the matched key count.

It’s quite hard to be responsible in the face of this information and hospitality is a situation where people sit fairly near the same other people for an extended period, generating these notifications.
 
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Andyh82

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The serve yourself Buffet breakfast is back at the Premier Inn from today

People were still wearing masks when walking around the buffet
 

robbob700

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The serve yourself Buffet breakfast is back at the Premier Inn from today

People were still wearing masks when walking around the buffet
I've just had an email from Premier Inn which confirms this:
"To help protect other guests and our team members, you must wear a face covering in all public areas around the hotel and restaurant – except when seated for a meal."
 

nlogax

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Good email from Hawksmoor last night;

We want to make the promise of a more normal-feeling world as real as possible for you, while continuing to do all we can to minimise risk and ensure you feel as comfortable as possible while you're with us.

When you arrive, you will no longer have to check in, wear masks or have your group size limited by the Rule of 6. However, if you'd like to wear a mask please do so, and if you'd like a table 1m+ from the next please call ahead and we will accommodate you wherever we can.

Behind the scenes we will be continuing key measures of what we believe has been a gold-standard response to running a restaurant during this pandemic, such as social distancing among staff, a minimum of twice-weekly testing, and our enhanced cleaning regime. While we won't make wearing masks mandatory for staff, they will have the option to wear one, and they will all have one at all times in case a customer would feel more comfortable if they wore one. We have also given the choice over to our teams, so one or two restaurants may all be wearing masks for a short period of time if they would prefer to.

Please don't hesitate to tell us if you'd rather your waiter wore a mask, either when booking or at any point while you're with us.
 

island

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I've just had an email from Premier Inn which confirms this:
"To help protect other guests and our team members, you must wear a face covering in all public areas around the hotel and restaurant – except when seated for a meal."
Thanks – just cancelled my upcoming bookings.
 

robbob700

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I've just had an email from Premier Inn which confirms this:
"To help protect other guests and our team members, you must wear a face covering in all public areas around the hotel and restaurant – except when seated for a meal."
I've just clicked on the link in the email and this says
"Face coverings are now optional. We encourage you to wear them in enclosed spaces to be considerate of others when staying with us."
So mixed messaging there!
 

dk1

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I've just clicked on the link in the email and this says
"Face coverings are now optional. We encourage you to wear them in enclosed spaces to be considerate of others when staying with us."
So mixed messaging there!
That’s the normal message for all enclosed areas in all settings from what I can see. Up to the individual but please be considerate.
 

island

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I've just clicked on the link in the email and this says
"Face coverings are now optional. We encourage you to wear them in enclosed spaces to be considerate of others when staying with us."
So mixed messaging there!
Sigh…
 

Andyh82

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I've just had an email from Premier Inn which confirms this:
"To help protect other guests and our team members, you must wear a face covering in all public areas around the hotel and restaurant – except when seated for a meal."
When you say ‘you’ve just had an email’

Do you mean an email specifically announcing post July 19th changes, or the automated one you get one or two days before a stay

If it’s the latter, they probably had just not yet changed the wording on the auto email, or you are staying in one of the nations.


The way any presence of any out of date information on a poster or website one second after midnight yesterday seems to be offending so many people here is hilarious. How annoyed they must be when the council leaves Christmas decorations up in January
 

robbob700

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When you say ‘you’ve just had an email’

Do you mean an email specifically announcing post July 19th changes, or the automated one you get one or two days before a stay

If it’s the latter, they probably had just not yet changed the wording on the auto email, or you are staying in one of the nations.


The way any presence of any out of date information on a poster or website one second after midnight yesterday seems to be offending so many people here is hilarious. How annoyed they must be when the council leaves Christmas decorations up in January
It was a bulk mailing-list type email, but the fact that it mentions updated restrictions led me to believe it was specific to the 19th July changes - however clicking on the link leads to a page that clarifies that face coverings are optional in England (Sorry I didn't click on the link before posting first)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Premier Inn update:
With updated government restrictions across different parts of the UK, we're continually reviewing our hotel and restaurant policies to ensure we open and operate in line with these. To help protect other guests and our team members, you must wear a face covering in all public areas around the hotel and restaurant – except when seated for a meal. For more information, please check our COVID-19 page.
 

Jamesrob637

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I'd rather the breakfast be back and have to wear a mask within the breakfast room (except of course for when seated and eating).
 

Mag_seven

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I was staying in a Premier Inn on Sunday night just gone and signs appeared on the Monday morning asking people to "consider" wearing face coverings when moving about the hotel but also recognising that it was optional. They looked as though they may have been bespoke to the individual hotel rather than Premier Inn corporate signs.
 

yorkie

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I went to a restaurant in the south of York today; although our group was the only group dining in, several people came to pick up takeaways. As far as I can recall, not a single person was wearing a mask, which was nice to see; the first totally normal dining experience in a very long time :)

I am going to a pub in York tomorrow evening and then going to London on Friday, so we will see what that brings, but I am feeling very positive and liberated right now :)

Good email from Hawksmoor last night;
Excellent wording, I agree
 
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jon0844

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I'd rather the breakfast be back and have to wear a mask within the breakfast room (except of course for when seated and eating).

I got an email from Brewers Fayre today saying the breakfast buffet is back. £9.50 now though.

I assume all the Whitbread brands will be the same now?
 

island

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I got an email from Brewers Fayre today saying the breakfast buffet is back. £9.50 now though.

I assume all the Whitbread brands will be the same now?
M&B are the same – “Wearing a mask is a personal choice in England”.
 

52290

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I'm sitting in the beer garden of the Bay Horse at Osbaldeston, a mile up the A59 from Thwaites new brewery, drinking a pint of their Gold Ale in celebration of cask ale week. It's just the job on this very warm day, you don't want a heavily hopped gargle blaster this weather. Nobody here is wearing a mask,just chatting and enjoying themselves. I can almost imagine that the last 18 months never happened. Did it happen?
 

Statto

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Just before Covid struck Sam Smith's Old Brewery bitter went up from £2 to £3 a pint all in one go.

I can understand beer prices going up 10p-20p in one hit, which normally around budget time, but £1 in one hit is taking the wee wee, then people wonder why boozers are struggling & closing at a rate of knots, when some breweries make decisions like this.
 

Yew

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I can understand beer prices going up 10p-20p in one hit, which normally around budget time, but £1 in one hit is taking the wee wee, then people wonder why boozers are struggling & closing at a rate of knots, when some breweries make decisions like this.
Indeed, over the last year, beer has gone up around 60p in my local. I know they've had a difficult time, but I do wonder if they are starting to price themselves out the market a little bit.
 

NorthOxonian

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I was in Carlisle this evening and decided to call into a pub for the first time since restrictions were eased.

It took me a second to remember how to order at the bar - when I entered and the landlord asker me what I fancied I was genuinely taken by surprise! Still, once that was dealt with I had a very enjoyable pint in a setting you'd struggle to tell apart from two years ago. It was wonderful to see.
 

3rd rail land

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Indeed, over the last year, beer has gone up around 60p in my local. I know they've had a difficult time, but I do wonder if they are starting to price themselves out the market a little bit.
Seems like they are trying to recoup the losses from being closed for so long, presumably having to dispose of stock and the times when capacity was reduced by charging customers more.

Ultimately it may cause some people to visit that particular establishment less often thus losing more in the long run.
 

yorkie

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Visited a couple of pubs in York yesterday. The York Tap is now bar service only. It felt normal which was great; I don't think I saw anyone wearing a mask. It felt very liberating.

Some of the passengers walking around the station did have masks, but most were not. So not a totally normal experience but a really good sign of things getting back to normal. It was pleasantly surprising to see the majority were not wearing masks; I had thought it would take a bit longer to get to that stage.

Then visited another pub, which was still table service. The staff were wearing masks if I recall correctly but I don't think I saw any customers wearing masks. Again it seemed a normal experience.

York was reasonably busy, but not overly so. It was a really good evening. Now for London today & tomorrow, hopefully it will be similarly good again :)
 

WAB

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I think the option of table service via the app in pubs is something quite positive which has come out this pandemic. Choice is key of course, but I much prefer to not have to jostle at the bar.
 

davews

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Yesterday had lunch in the Old Thameside Inn near London Bridge, a Nicholson's pub. I was refused entry there last summer because I didn't have a smartphone to scan their QR - 'everybody has a phone these days'... Now all covid stuff gone. Blackboard outside instructed me to choose a table and order at the bar. The only staff masked was the manager who refused to let me in last year, all others lovely smiling faces. Good food served quickly, everything normal, no complaints.
 

Dai Corner

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I was in Bristol earlier, mainly to cover the Rhubarb line and East Depot but also had a wander round the redeveloped area near Temple Meads and bought food and drink at Spoke and Stringer across the footbridge nearest the 'new' entrance to Temple Meads

It didn't feel any different to be honest. Staff were behind a perspex screen and wore masks. I put my mask on while inside out of habit and took my purchases outside to eat.

Back in Newport this afternoon and the Welsh protocol. Order by calling out to the barmaid as you enter, sit down, remove mask and sign in on online. Drink and card machine brought over.

Asked if I want another drink when glass nears empty. Repeat as desired.

I'm more than happy with that

Edit: 90% of passengers were wearing masks both on the platforms and on the trains. The main exceptions were a group of youths. Peer pressure at work?
 
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