How north east Fife restaurants and pubs are preparing to re-open

That is the date food and drink fans across Fife have got marked on their calendars, following the announcement last week by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that pubs and restaurants would be given the green light to re-open.

But when the pub doors swing open and foodies are guided to their seats at their favourite restaurants, the scene will not be the one they have dreamed of for the last few months.

The award-winning Seafood Ristorante in St Andrews has reduced its outdoor seating capacity from 30 to 24 and indoor capacity from 70 to 40. Hand sanitisers will be made available to customers, while staff will be wearing PPE. However, director Stefano Pieraccini hopes that Scottish government will follow changes down south and cut the social distancing rule to one-metre.

The restaurant is due to re-open on July 16, from Thursday to Sunday only, with a new lunch-time menu available between noon-2.30pm and evening menu from 6-9.30pm.

“Although we’ve made some necessary small changes to help people feel more at ease while eating out in public again, our core dining experience and values remain reassuringly unchanged,” said Stefano. “We will continue to reinforce our reputation as one of Scotland’s most iconic dining venues, offering the finest Scottish seafood mixed with an Italian foundation.

“We remain positive about the future as we adapt to life after lockdown and look forward to giving everyone a warm welcome to the restaurant with our new menu.”

Lorna Lidderdale, owner of the Boudingait in Cupar, said guidance and restrictions remain unclear, but several changes have been made to keep the customers and staff safe. It will only accept bookings with a maximum of six people per table, a sanitising station is now at the front, safety screens have been installed between tables, and staff will be wearing PPE.

While Lorna hopes to open the pub on the 15th, this may only be for takeaway until PPE is delivered and guidelines are made clearer.

“All of the team will undergo pub/restaurant focused coronavirus training and we are working daily to ensure we can reopen even safer without compromising our customer experience,” Lorna added.

“As pubs, bars and restaurants are working to finalise plans for re-opening everyone needs to remember that we can’t be exactly how you remember us or hoped we would be just yet, but we will do everything we can to keep everyone safe and keep a visit to The Boudingait an enjoyable experience. Stay safe and we look forward to seeing you all soon.”

The Press, cafe and bistro, in Cupar, is having a phased return. It has already started doing take-aways, and next Wednesday it will be opening up its outside area for customers. It will then open fully on the 15th. While owner Grant Hughes is still waiting on the guidelines, UPV screens have been fitted between tables. However, like other restaurant owners, he hopes the two-metre rule will be relaxed.

“It’s going to be hard,” he warned. “With two-metres we will probably lose about 40 per cent of our customers. We’d still open to get trading again, but it’s not ideal in the long term.”

Blane McKnight, manager at The Boathouse in Anstruther, described the announcement as a “huge relief”.

While some restaurants will be re-opening on the 15th, The Boathouse will be staying closed. Blane and his team will be keeping an eye on how other restaurants and pubs handle the situation, before welcoming back any of their usual customers.

One benefit of lockdown is that it has given managers at pubs and restaurants the chance to take a breath and think about the future. The Boathouse team has taken advantage of the break, refurbishing the restaurant.

While Blane was due to get guidance yesterday (Thursday) some safety measures have already been installed. The big change, though, will be the number of customers allowed in at any one time.

“It’s going to be half the capacity,” Blane said. “You have to think about the amount of staff and customers you can have. It’s going to keep our customers safe and that is the number one priority. We just look forward to welcoming our customers back.”