Chefs’ disappointment as new coronavirus tiering means more restaurants must shut

Now, with Cambridgeshire following Peterborough into Tier 4 from Boxing Day, plans for his Homme Nouveau restaurant in Market Square have been ruined.

“Well, I guess we have still got Christmas,” said Chris, who is fully booked for Christmas Day.

“We opened at the beginning of December after the second lockdown and have done quite well,” he added. “We were busy last night, have lots of booking for Christmas Eve afternoon tea and are fully booked on Christmas Day.

“We were fully booked for New Year’s Eve, too, so we will lose that, and we had a singer, so she will lose out as well.

“But it is out of our hands and we have to live with it,” said Chris, who was already planning to close throughout January anyway.

It will also come as a blow to chef John McGinn, who was temporarily relocating his Smoke and Embers restaurant - just over the Peterborough boundary at his Dog in a Doublet pub - to Whittlesey’s Ivy Leaf Club.

He will still be able to offer his Christmas Day meals, but faces cancelling his Boxing Day bookings.

The Queens Head at Nassington will also fall under Cambridgeshire’s Tier 4 restrictions.

A disappointed Robert Smith said it would fulfill its Christmas Eve and Christmas Day lunch bookings, then operate as a takeaway to “try to pay the fixed costs, utilities, mortgage etc.”

He said: “The grants which the government have set will take some weeks to be paid and are completely inadequate when compared to the real costs of running a pub restaurant and small hotel. This is yet another disappointment in what has been a torturous year.

“We really hope that we get support for the takeaways and additional grant support from government as without this the next few months are very bleak which will see many hospitality businesses fail and close for good.”

Northamptonshire moves into Tier 3 from Saturday, restricting restaurants to takeaways only.

Zak Perrin at The Falcon Inn at Fotheringhay - recently recognised in the Good Pub Guide as the county’s Dining pub of the Year - will look to alternative means to see out December.

“Today was the last day to have stock arrive before Christmas and Boxing Day,” he said. “We’re now holding a lot of stock that we cannot return to our suppliers. We will reopen for the third time as a bakery and takeaway in hopes to salvage this month.

“Luckily we can still do Christmas Day, the Tier 3 notice comes into effect at midnight. However we were fully booked for Boxing Day!”

Also falling foul of the Tier 3 restrictions is the Tap and Kitchen at Oundle, which will close at the weekend and not revert to takeaways service.

It messaged tonight: “It was less than a week ago that we told you all we were pleased to stay in tier 2. Now though, as a Northamptonshire business, as of Boxing Day we are placed in tier 3.

“This means that we will cease trading at 4.30pm on Christmas Day until a time that we can realistically reopen. We have no plans to offer takeout meals during the closure. All bookings thereafter are of course cancelled.

“Any vouchers or deposits are all still valid and we will add 6 months validity to all current vouchers in circulation.

“We might not have much to say for a while, but please stay in contact on the social feeds on Facebook and Instagram . Have a Merry Christmas and New year wherever you are, whatever you are doing, and we will see you all in 2021.”