Added to which, they’ll only be able to serve a fraction of their normal number of customers due to the two-metre distancing rules.
That’s the supply side of the equation, so what about demand? The fact is, nobody can be sure how many people are willing to risk going to the pub while the bug is still with us. Anyone with elderly relatives will be thinking twice. And how much spare cash do they have to spend when it’s £5 a pint these days?
On balance, it seems likely that pubs in young cities like London will have massive demand from thirsty beer-lovers. So, those that can open could be swamped, fail to keep within the distance rules and be ordered to close again.
Faced by those dilemmas, the industry is in a funk.
The British Institute of Innkeeping found only one in four of its members would reopen if the two metre rule applied. Nearly all believed they would lose a quarter or more of their turnover if they did.
There’s no doubt about it. Reopening the pubs will be far harder than it was to close them.
