The Lapstone, Horton Heath, photo credit: Carl Maskelyne Russ Kitching, the owner of the Lapstone in Horton Heath and also the owner of Chandler’s Ford drinks distribution company, Thirstee Business has made calls for clearer directions on staff isolation. He said: “It’s an absolute nightmare. We’ve just got over furlough and we’re trying to recover from that and preparing to repay bounce back loans and now we get a massive spike in pinging. “One minute we’re planning to expand and to open up and the next we’ve got staffing issues. Its probably the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced operationally.
PUBS have spoken out after experiencing an increased number of no-shows since reopening. As of April 12, pubs and restaurants have been allowed to open for outdoor service only for the first time in months after coronavirus restrictions were eased. But now, several pubs have said they have lost money due to people booking tables but not showing up. At The Lapstone in Horton Heath, owner Russ Kitching claimed that 15 per cent of bookings last weekend didn t show up despite bringing in live music for those two days.
The Lapstone, Horton Heath, photo credit: Carl Maskelyne Russ said: It s not good. Some people just block book and don t support. We take 50% of our turnover at weekends and that s when a no-show can be quite damaging.