This week pubs look forward to a bumper weekend as consumers receive their first pay packet of 2022, we set tummies rumbling with the Top 50 Gastropubs, get behind Sunny Hodge’s petition to extend skilled working visas and the amazing cyclists looking to raise £200k for hospitality charities…
Pubs bank on a bumper weekend as UK lifts Covid restrictions
Pubs up and down the country are hoping to wipe away the January blues and kick Covid into touch this weekend as restrictions are lifted across the UK and consumers receive their first pay packets of 2022. Food Alert client BrewDog is among the pub operators who are expecting to be pulling in the punters and enjoy one of the best trading weekends since the arrival of Omicron last year.
The Unruly Pig voted best gastropub
It’s the most mouth watering list of the year so far… and the Morning Advertiser in partnership with Estrella Damm has revealed the Top 50 Gastropubs. Voted for by more than 400 gastropub owners, food critics and industry experts, this year’s awards was hosted by TV presenter and Celebrity Masterchef 2017 winner, Angellica Bell. The Unruly Pig, which is based in Woodbridge near Ipswich, was crowned the UK’s best gastropub and praised for its locally sourced, unfussy, seasonal food served up by head chef Dave Wall.
Petition launched to extend skilled working visas to hospitality
London based bar owner, Sunny Hodge, is taking action to resolve the sector’s staffing difficulties by petitioning the government to extend skilled working visas to hospitality workers. At present, the skilled worker visas programme is open to dancers, choreographers and orchestral musicians, and Hodge is seeking to extend this to include non-managerial key hospitality positions such as sommeliers, cocktail bartenders and maître d’s. The petition will run until 24 July 2022. At 10,000 signatures, the government will have to respond to the petition. At 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in parliament. The petition can be signed here.
Pedalling for Pubs hits £150,000 milestone ahead of event
The hospitality sector never ceases to amaze when it comes to taking on crazy challenges to fundraise for charity. And this year is no exception with 27 heroic volunteer riders from the sector who are looking to cycle 350km across Jordan’s hot, tricky mountainous terrain in just four days. Our friend Katy Moses at KAM Media is behind the Pedalling for Pubs challenge, and collectively the cyclists have already hit their fundraising milestone of £150,000. With two months still to go before the actual event takes place, a new stretching fundraising target of £200,000 has been set. To find out more about the challenge, who is participating, and to donate, click pedallingforpubs.org.uk/donate/