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Level 4 restrictions to come into play on Boxing Day could be the final nail in the coffin for some north and north-east businesses.
Industry bosses warned of the impact the next national lockdown would have on their livelihoods.
DaVinci Italian restaurant owner Elena Ionascu said: “We’ve tried so hard to survive but it just seems impossible now.
“This year we don’t even have one booking for a Christmas meal.”
The few reservations the restaurant had secured over the festive period have now all had to be cancelled, leading Mrs Ionascu to close down and donate the remainder of her stocks to food banks.
And he revealed his “Plan K menu” – a reference to the multiple changes of plans that he has had to make at his Bridge of Allan restaurant in response to new restrictions. With most of Scotland moving to Level 4 on Boxing Day, restaurants will only be able to offer takeaway options.
He told his Twitter followers: “If you’ve got dilemmas and you’ve changed your plans and are only cooking for four now, or you’ve bought a turkey and are thinking ‘what can I do with it?’ ‘what’s going to happen to all the stuff that I’ve planned?’, talk to us and we’ll do our best to help you out.
A CALL has been made for targeted government support as thousands of hospitality businesses across Scotland continue to haemorrhage money and staff as a result of the coronavirus crisis. While some businesses are managing to sustain around 90% of their pre-Covid turnover, others are facing ruin even if they are in the lowest levels where pandemic restrictions are less strict, according to people in the trade. Many of the worst affected are in city centres and in normal trading times provide a significant boost to the country’s economy. Gavin Stevenson, whose Inverness venue Gellions promotes the trad music scene, said even level 1 was “horrific” for businesses like his.