Outdoor dining on the menu as pubs and restaurants in Calderdale get ready to re-open

It was announced on Tuesday that pubs and restaurants can reopen indoors and outdoors with safety measures such as table-only service, from July 4.

Owners will be asked to keep contact details of customers to help with contact tracing.

Speaking before the announcement on Tuesday, Lisa Jakimciw, from the Elder restaurant, in the Piece Hall, said: “As guidelines currently stand as we are a small venue it’s not viable for us to open as we were inside the restaurant.

“However we do have the beautiful surroundings of The Piece Hall and our open dining area on the courtyard.

“We are busy working with The Piece Hall to look at how we can work together with other tenants too to maximise this space to be able to offer diners and customers a safe and enjoyable experience through what may remain of the summer months.”

The business has already adapted their offering to launch Elder at Home, where customers can order meals to be delivered to them.

Lisa added: “The truth of the matter is that the hospitality industry is a hard industry to strive in even before a COVID-19 world - so we are all in for a tough ride over the next 12 months.

“Whilst we may be able to open outdoors over summer if it’s safe to do so, we all need to plan for the hard Winter months and how we work around guidelines to be sustainable longer term.

“For this, we need people to support independants - the local support to date has been amazing - and work creatively and collaboratively with landlords, councils and the wider business community.

“So far we have been fortunate enough to have support - but if we, and others, don’t get ongoing support and flexibility as part of a wider regeneration strategy for the next year then it won’t be possible to survive.”

Nicky Chance-Thompson DL, Chief Executive, The Piece Hall Trust, speaking before the announcement on Tuesday, said: “The hospitality sector plays a vital part of the whole Piece Hall experience and those businesses in particular need all the support they can get, so they can reopen safely and sustainably.

“We are in the early phase of reopening The Piece Hall and we continue to follow Government guidelines, as the lockdown is lifted in stages.

“There’s no shortage of grit, energy and imagination here which will help our friends and partners in hospitality to adapt. We’re talking all the time and I’m hearing plenty of good ideas about new ways of working, offering products and services that our visitors will welcome.

“We’re luckier than most, as at the heart of The Piece Hall is 66,000 sq ft of one of the most beautiful enclosed courtyards in the world. It’s inspiring our food and beverage operators to think about how they can reopen and make the most of the space, so that a post-lockdown experience is a safe and positive one for customers and visitors.”

Speaking before the announcement on Tuesday, Rachel Bray, from Jeremy’s at the Boathouse, said: “We still don’t know exactly what the government guidelines are going to be so we’re a bit in the dark.

“But we’re preparing to be ready for the beginning of July, and at the very least, start doing takeaway food, even if we can’t fully open.

“We do have a beer garden, which we’re preparing, so we will be making use of the outdoor space.

“We’ve been decorating and getting the place ready.

“We’re quite a big building, but we’re also a live music venue on a weekend, so that’s going to hit us and we’re going to have to try and adapt until we can have live bands again. So that will change the way our business runs.

“We’re quite lucky in that we’ve got quite a big, open space to work with, but I think some of the smaller venues are going to struggle.

“It’s just a different world so we’re all going to have to adapt until hopefully becomes a bit more normal.

“It’s also about getting the balance right so you don’t feel like you’re walking into an operating theatre but you feel safe.

“You still want to make it a pleasurable experience for people to come for a drink and a meal, and relax, while feeling safe.

Mark Parkinson, from The Fleece Countryside Inn at Ripponden, speaking before the announcement on Tuesday, said: “We’ve got a massive outdoor area, so we’re lucky. We’ve got two big outdoor terraces which we’re planning on using.

“It’ll be a very slow, phased opening, small offerings, so people feel secure coming out.

“It’s all well and good opening, but are people going to come? People are still scared.

“I think we’ve got a chance of people coming out in the summer months, especially if we get some good weather.”

Mr Parkinson added: “Things aren’t going to be the same as they were.

“It’s not just social distancing from the customers’ point of view, it’s from the staff point of view.

“We employ six full-time chefs but we’re not going to get them all in the kitchen.

“I think the industry will change forever. Until there’s a vaccine and you can 100 per cent guarantee it’s gone then people are going to be nervous about coming out.”

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