Chesterfield pub boss reveals how his venue can survive the new lockdown: 'I'm a lot more optimistic this time'

Douglas Daniels runs The Market Pub, which hasn’t been able to trade properly since October, and there is no prospect of the situation changing until mid-February when the Government could begin easing the current restrictions.

“Obviously it's not great, but now there's a vaccine it does seem there could be an end to all this at some point in the not-too-distant future,” he said.

“We should be able to see a way through this one. Lockdown and the things that go with it has just become part of life. I think everyone's accepted it to a degree.”

Douglas has furloughed his 17 staff. In addition, hospitality venues are eligible for new grants from the Treasury worth up to £9,000 per property – Douglas said he was gladdened that these were announced ‘straight away’ by the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak.

“I think any help is welcome. Having lost Christmas and that whole period is massive for us – that really does form the backbone of our finances, getting us through January, February and March until business picks up again. I'm just trying to look at things positively.”

His pub, on New Beetwell Street, has experimented with offering takeaway food which Douglas said has been ‘well-received’.

"We're just doing little pop up specials here and there. We'll pick a product like burgers or pies, and just do it for one night. The last one we did was on Christmas Eve and that sold out really quickly.”

Offering takeaway pints, however, isn’t allowed as a way of generating funds during the latest lockdown.

"We were doing a little bit of click and collect, usually with the takeaway food, however we can't do that anymore,” said Douglas, who expressed his frustration with the Government’s handling of the pandemic.

“There's all this uncertainty - we don't know what's going to happen until the very last minute and then we're told what's happening 'as of tomorrow', or 'as of two days' time'.

“At the beginning of December, after the November lockdown, we'd had everything in place to reopen. I'd placed all my orders with suppliers, briefed all the staff, we'd been in and set up, only to find out we weren't going to open. That was difficult.

"There's a big cost involved in opening and shutting. Every time we have to close down it's costing us over £1,000 each time, minimum, in wasted beer and so on.”

Although Douglas said he took comfort from the enormous success of last year’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme, he said he worried that ‘people’s attitudes have changed’ towards eating out and drinking in pubs.

“Is it going to go back to the way it was before, are people going to feel comfortable and have a pint like they used to?

“I'm hoping this vaccine can be rolled out in an efficient manner whereby the correct amount of people - millions - are having it administered over the coming weeks and months, with a view to getting open in March time.”

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.