Supporting each other in difficult times British traditional pubs and cafes April 27, 17:19

One of the countries where the new coronavirus infection is serious is the United Kingdom. Out-of-go restrictions continue for more than a month, and stores are closed for normal business except for supermarkets that handle daily necessities. There are some stores that are forced to close due to lack of income, no prospect of reopening. On the other hand, an increasing number of restaurants are trying various ways to protect their stores. This time, we will introduce the ideas of the four stores. (Mari Mukai, Teruyuki Kurihara, London Office)

Enjoy the taste of a pub at home

British is a traditional pub. It's located in every small town, and it's usually full of people talking outside with the beer glasses.

The South Yorkshire pub has closed down in-store and has partnered with a local brewery to start selling bottled beer online. We decided to deliver the British special beer called ale, which our regular customers enjoyed at the store, directly to our customers.

Beginning in the middle of this month, labels with the pub branding were placed on the bottles and sold for about £ 3 each. We plan to sell out the first 100 stocks and purchase new ones.

(Manager Chris Bray)
"Not only regular customers but also orders from all over the country such as London and Northern Ireland. It is helpful to have a certain income."

You can drink twice when you restart

Meanwhile, a pub in London sells special beer tickets online. It is a ticket that you can use after the business in the store restarts, with the privilege of drinking double the amount of beer. So far, it has sold 500 pounds (about 67,000 yen).

We started with the hope that many customers would come back, but it is not enough to cover expenses such as rent and utilities, and we are also using crowdfunding to raise funds to maintain our store.

(Mr. Connor Macroflin)
"I'm afraid that I might be afraid of being infected by a virus and become a society where people stay home. Pubs are a culture that has been rooted in British society for many years, I want you to get together. ''

Bring vegetables that were ingredients to home

Along with pubs, a cafe where you can enjoy light meals and teas is an essential part of British life. The movement of new ideas is spreading in cafes.

The store in Scotland has closed its business and put all employees at home. On the other hand, we started a new home delivery service only for the owner's family.

Vegetables and fruits are delivered. Originally, they are the ingredients of the dishes that were served at the cafe and the products that were sold at the direct sale place. Most of them are from Scotland. It is said that he decided to choose a home delivery service because he heard that local farmers and wholesalers were losing business conditions because of a series of holidays at restaurants, and he was in a difficult situation.

(Owners Ross Tariff and Jackie Tariff)
“It 's not going to be the same income as before, but even if it's small, if we continue to sell vegetables, we'll be able to keep up with the locals during this difficult time. I believe it will support farmers and businesses in

I will do shopping

Some cafes have turned to retail. This store in London has begun delivering food and daily necessities. This is because after the restrictions on going out, long lines of shoppers were able to form long lines at stores that sell food, and we heard from elderly people that shopping was particularly difficult.

We collect and deliver products ordered online from local stores, and handle a wide range of items such as coffee, chocolate, toilet paper.

The seating area was renovated into a storage space for products. It means that sales have increased compared to when I was running a cafe.

(Owner Lindsey War and manager Nancy Ramirez)
“I think we are like a distributor for a local store. Not only do we deliver what our customers need, It's great to be helpful and to work with the store. ''

Pubs and cafes with the community

For British people, the presence of pubs and cafes is part of their lives. Bottled beer and ticket sales can only be supported by the locals who want the store to continue in the future.

In the UK, outing restrictions are expected to continue until at least early next month, but it's still unclear when these stores will be able to resume normal operations.

Pubs and cafes that have walked with local people. I am trying to overcome today's difficult times while valuing mutual support with local people.

Mari Mukai,　　Director of London Bureau
Joined in 1998
After working at the International Affairs Department and Sydney Bureau

Teruyuki Kurihara,　　reporter for the London branch , joined the economic department in
1999,
and is currently in charge of the European economy.