Christmas is a busy time of year for everyone. Presents are bought, drinks are poured and food is served but, the hospitality business is struggling to recover post pandemic. Mark Henderson, boss of three live music and dining venues has highlighted some big issues affecting the sector. Across three locations, Leicester, Nottingham and Milton Keynes with a combined capacity of 900 people, each venue is running on about 200 people per night. With Christmas set to be a busy time of year, data shows a loss of £310 million to the local economy in Leicester. Partnered with this, Mr Henderson said “We launch our Christmas programme in March, and would typically sell about 20 per cent of tickets by the end of July, but we have lost that early 20 per cent.”  Highlighting the extreme effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic and how hospitality businesses are still recovering, it is clear that things are not ‘returning to normal’ as many expected.

Mr Henderson goes on to say, “By Christmas we want to be at 80 per cent capacity and feedback from people who have been here like the fact that there’s extra space in the restaurant.” Indicating a potential bonus to lower bookings, it also indicates that the new norm has removed the once wanted crowded room.