The best gastropubs in the business are set to be announced as The Morning Advertiser gears up for the reveal of the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list for 2022.
Staffing problems are an “ongoing struggle” at top Hertfordshire gastropub the Fox & Hounds in Barley, which was down 50% staffing levels when reopening in the new year.
Trade over the Christmas period was “pretty dire” at the Curlew in Bodiam, East Sussex, with the Government’s support packages doing little to provide sustained support to hospitality, said operator Matthew Devlin.
Staffing shortages forced the Duck Inn at Pett Bottom, Kent to close a week before New Year’s Day and made Christmas a difficult trading period, said chef-patron Dean Legg.
Christmas has turned “pear-shaped” for Lancashire-based gastropub the Parker’s Arms, with bookings dropping by 35% due to customer fears about the Omicron Covid variant.