Fife pub owner warns of redundancies and closures after new lockdown measures announced

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced yesterday that pubs and restaurants would only be able sell food and non-alcoholic drinks indoors between 6am-6pm, with venues with outdoor seating able to remain open until 10pm.

The measures also include a nationwide ban on drinking alcohol indoors.

But James Torrance, who owns Agenda and The Windsor in Leven, and the Sunbeam Inn in Kennoway, says he will be closing all three establishments on Friday, and staying shut for the two weeks the measures are in place.

And he warned that other pubs and restaurants might do the same.

“I do not know a pub that has enough of a roaring food business that it will be able to stay open,” he said.

“Even they will be losing their biggest trading hours. It’s not going to be worth it.

“I think we’re going to have a few casualties here, and I think there will be redundancies.

“I think there are going to be redundancies on a huge scale.”

Mr Torrance said that pubs and restaurants were being treated as a “scapegoat” in the crisis, as positive Covid-19 cases continue to rise.

And he said the changes might encourage people to socialise in households instead, breaking restrictions.

Will Docker, owner of the Balgove Larder near St Andrews, and chairman of Food from Fife, which represents around 75 businesses in the region, also criticised the changes.

“I was dismayed to hear the announcement, which will have an huge impact on so many businesses right across Scotland. The hospitality industry is incredibly diverse and this seems to be an incredibly broad brush approach that significantly affects businesses in all areas.

“As a business, we’re having to think fast on our feet about whether the new restrictions – particularly the 6pm curfew – will make elements of our business unviable. There are many restaurants and food service businesses who will be questioning the viability of continuing to employ somebody after 3pm, for example; and takeaway is simply not an option for many.

“We’re all having to be nimble and explore what will work. Our cafe and shop can continue to operate using the social distancing guidelines we’ve adhered to for some time, though with no alcohol in the cafe, but our Steak Barn is a more difficult proposition. “Over the next 48hrs we will be deciding what offering will best serve our Steak Barn customers, though the eye of the needle is ever diminishing.

“We also learnt lessons during lockdown of course, but outdoor eating is less appealing at this time of year when it’s getting dark at 6.30pm.

“Many businesses have worked incredibly hard to be creative and are of course stretched financially – I’m sure many will now feel they’ve reached their limit. It will be interesting to see the detail behind the £40m finance package but this sounds like a drop in the ocean when you consider the scale of the restrictions on such a wide-reaching industry.”