‘Heartbreaking’ last night for Peterborough pubs and restaurants before Tier 3 Covid restrictions come into force
Pubs, bars and restaurants across the city centre saw a steady flow of diners last night (December 18) but the city centre was relatively quiet. Police patrols were in evidence and queues were orderly with no repetition of scenes seen in other cities on the last night before tighter restrictions applied. At the Pizza House in Cowgate, owner Rinaldo Fasulo said they had been fully booked and the last evening went well. He was at the business today (December 19) ensuring all this weekend’s bookings had been cancelled. “It was heartbreaking really,” he said. “It was a busy night and people really enjoyed it. It went well and we were finished by 10.30pm. “But that’s it now. “We were fully booked tonight (December 19) and we have had to call everyone to cancel. “It’s terrible for the industry. I don’t think this will be just for a couple of weeks. I really think we are likely to be closed for at least a month. “We will just have to wait and hear what the government decides. “It’s terrible for many, many businesses and I fear we will see many jobs lost.” The Pizza House will now move to takeaway service only and Mr Fasulo said he planned to retain his staff. “We are going to open a few days a week for pick-up service only,” he said. “That’s what we did in lockdown and although it’s not a lot compared to our normal business it is something. “I am lucky in that I believe I’ll be able to retain staff but I think many won’t be able to. It is a terrible thing to be honest.” Jack Hutchinson, one of the managers at nearby The Draper’s Arms in Cowgate said: “Last night went really well. People were out enjoying some food and drink for the last time this year. The atmosphere was good and people were well behaved. “There were police patrols in the streets and everything seemed to go well, we saw nothing untoward.” Mr Hutchinson was at the popular pub today closing up in line with Tier 3 restrictions. He said: “I’m in today closing everything up and then that’s it until we get more information from the government. “It’s normally our busiest time of the year and of course we’d like to be open, so it is going to be very tough.”