Opening time at last! Pubs, restaurants, cafes, and hotels among businesses set to welcome customers back on Saturday

Saturday is set to be opening time across the district as many pubs get ready to pull their first pint in more than three months since being shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Gemma Richardson of the Castle Inn is ready for punters on July 4Gemma Richardson of the Castle Inn is ready for punters on July 4
Gemma Richardson of the Castle Inn is ready for punters on July 4

Restaurants, cafes, hairdressers, cinemas and hotels are among the other businesses that are being allowed to once again operate from this Saturday.

The relaxation of the rules means playgrounds, libraries and outdoor gyms can also open their doors again.

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Business owners in the Boston district have been making changes to ensure they comply with social distancing rules and other regulations designed to stop the spread of the virus.

The Raj Palace getting ready to reopenThe Raj Palace getting ready to reopen
The Raj Palace getting ready to reopen

And they are calling on the people of the town to come out and support them as much as possible to help the economic recovery, as the country slowly comes out of lockdown.

It will be a very different sort of experience for customers, particularly in the hospitality sector, where everyone will have to get used to the new normality as Covid-19 continues to cast a huge shadow.

Boston mayor Coun Anton Dani is also involved in the hospitality industry as owner of the Café de Paris on Bridge Street.

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He says it is really important now for the people of the town to show their support for businesses.

Dale Broughton, of The Kings HeadDale Broughton, of The Kings Head
Dale Broughton, of The Kings Head

“All small businesses are a part of their communities, now is the time for the locals to show their support, help is needed,” he said.

Café de Paris will be re-opening in a week’s time, on Wednesday, July 8, to coincide with market day.

Coun Dani said: “My message to all businesses is not to give up, we should all fight back, hand in hand and try to get out of these difficult times.

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“I am really very eager to serve my customers, I do miss all of them and their chats.”

Mohammed Alexander at The Raj PalaceMohammed Alexander at The Raj Palace
Mohammed Alexander at The Raj Palace

Two of the pubs in Freiston are getting ready to welcome customers back in on Saturday, and say people will be safe coming for a drink or something to eat – but should only come back when they feel comfortable.

Dale Broughton, of The King’s Head, said they were just finalising what they needed to do to comply with regulations and.

“And after 14-15 weeks closed, the sooner we can open the better, especially for the village.

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“There’s definitely a demand. People are saying they can’t wait for us to open again. It’s just going to be a relief,” he said.

Dale Broughton of the King's Head in FreistonDale Broughton of the King's Head in Freiston
Dale Broughton of the King's Head in Freiston

The pub has been among many doing takeaway food throughout lockdown, particularly for vulnerable customers in the village.

“Hopefully, the pub will be a bit of a village hub again. But we’ll still be doing some takeaways for people who don’t want to come out just yet.”

He said he had to plough through a 43-page document outlining the new regulations, and had to make some changes, including losing two or three of the tables and shutting off one of the urinals.

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And he said a lot of the guidance was contradictory. “For example, you can’t use an fruit machine in a pub, but the amusements are open in Skegness. You can have Sky Sports, but you’re not allowed to show live sports in the pub.”

But he stressed that returning customers would be safe to come back. “I just want to say that coming back to our pub – and hopefully every other pub – ours will be a totally safe environment, it will be a fun and friendly environment as it always has been. No one has anything to fear about coming back to the pub either to eat or drink,” he said.

Gemma Richardson, landlady of The Castle Inn in the village, said they would be ready and raring to go by Saturday.

Mayor Anton Dani outside his business Cafe de ParisMayor Anton Dani outside his business Cafe de Paris
Mayor Anton Dani outside his business Cafe de Paris

The pub, which has also been doing takeaways and providing meals for elderly and vulnerable people, has brought in more rigorous hygiene and cleaning schedules, she said.

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“We’ve bought a state-of-the-art dishwasher to make sure everything is tip-top through there, then in the pub we’ve cleaned it all out and disinfected it, and all the carpets have been cleaned and everything like that,” she said.

Work has also been done on the outside area, where a member of staff will be on hand at all times to take orders, and the tables inside have been kept at two metres apart.

But she accepted that to start with it would be a bit daunting for people.

“We want everyone spaced out and able to keep to their families. I think that’s a bit more reassuring for customers knowing they can do that.

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“The next few months will see more changes brought in. It’s just adjusting people to the new norm.

“Thank you to our customers for supporting us doing takeaways.

“We look forward to seeing them all soon when they feel comfortable. I’d also like to thank my staff as well for their support and patience through this hard period.”

Restaurants are also getting ready to reopen their doors. Mohammed Alexendar of the Raj Palace on West Street, Boston, said they were set to open on Saturday, and were busy making sure all protections were in place “to ensure our customers feel safe and comfortable”.

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The restaurant was heavily involved in the campaign to provide meals for health workers at the Pilgrim, and also tried to maintain a takeaway service to customers as well.

“We have seen people continue to enjoy our meals, but have also seen how important the service has been to some of the vulnerable within our community who have been in isolation,” he said.

“It needs to be mentioned that the town and surrounding villages have really rallied around us during this period and we’ve been truly humbled by the support.”

He said their size made it easier to move tables around, reduce capacity and maintain social distancing, with two doors operating as separate entry and exit points, and hand sanitisation stations reminding customers of social distancing and hygiene.

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“We already uphold a strict hygiene regime in the restaurant but as an added measure, all contact points are disinfected before and after every service and tables and chairs will be continuously disinfected throughout the service.

“There will also be medical grade sanitiser available for customers as they enter, exit or whilst they are inside,” he said.

The restaurant will only be accepting customers who have booked in advance going forward.

“The hospitality sector is facing one of its biggest challenges and one of them is going to be how to open whilst remaining a viable business. The industry in general is operated on low margins and any businesses opening are, inevitably, going to have to reduce their capacity and limit the number of customers coming in.

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“It has been a really challenging period, but I think it’s important to focus on the positives, we’re a great nation that has been through challenges throughout history and have always come through stronger.

“I’d like to thank the staff for their continued commitment both in the back and front of house and a special shout out to Moses, who is head of operations.

“Hopefully the people of Boston and the surrounding areas will get behind the hospitality sector and help us all get back on our feet.

“Our faith in the town and its prosperity hasn’t wavered, we remain committed and have taken the opportunity to invest further in the restaurant and have completely overhauled the exterior to increase its kerb appeal.

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“We’ve missed the atmosphere and seeing the happy faces in here and look forward to welcoming everybody back in again soon.”

The White Hart Hotel in Boston is also opening its doors – and it is making a special thank-you gesture to the town’s NHS, care home and blue light workers for their efforts during lockdown with a 25 per cent discount on meals in July.

Kevin Charity, executive officer of the Coaching Inn Group, which operates the hotel and 16 others in busy market towns across the country, said it would be a momentous moment.

“We have spent weeks preparing for our reopening and I am delighted to say our loyal and hugely supportive staff are now slowly coming back off furlough and looking forward to welcoming both regulars and new guests,” he said.

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Safety measures include social distancing, screens where necessary, single-use menus, a new order and paying app, cashless payments and hand sanitising stations throughout the premises.

Staff will have their temperatures taken before starting work, and the White Hart will also have a ‘Covid Safe Champion’ who will spend the entire day on sanitising and cleaning duties, regularly patrolling all public areas.

It has also introduced a separate set of safety measures for guests staying overnight including a 10 high touch point cleaning protocol, online check-in and pre-payment.

NHS, care or blue light worker guests staying at The White Hart or any other hotel in the group will get a half price room-only discount until the end of July.

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