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An ill-thought through sentence tacked onto the end of new guidance that has significant consequences for an entire industry. A silver lining? I learnt the word kakistocracy this week.
We’ll be back with some positivity later, after a blissful final service yesterday… But first, a bit of a thread…
It’s a sentence that can have two vastly different outcomes… to render wet-led pubs entirely incomeless, is one. For it to just sit there with such supreme obscurity, it’s effectively meaningless, is the other.
It could only have been written by Them.
It could only have been written by Them.
Our bastions of logic and clarity are here once again, ‘wrapping their arms around The British People’ (in a boa constrictor-like death grip for the hospitality industry).
This, of course, follows the drama ‘Tiers’ last week:
This, of course, follows the drama ‘Tiers’ last week:
Weeks up until Thursday: Tier 3 imminent for West Yorkshire
Thursday: West Yorkshire in Tier 3 from Monday
Saturday: Whole country in Lockdown 2 from Thursday
Sunday: Actually, don’t worry about the Tier 3 thing
Thursday: West Yorkshire in Tier 3 from Monday
Saturday: Whole country in Lockdown 2 from Thursday
Sunday: Actually, don’t worry about the Tier 3 thing
Before our prime minister Robert Peston ( @Peston) announced on Saturday that Lockdown II was to take effect on Thursday, pubs were trying to rustle up food offerings of ‘substantial meals’ & reducing their beer offerings, given that dropping in for 'just a pint' would be no more.
. .Communicating to their guests and heading for what was next with deep breath and a weary acceptance. Only to find out that all of that is cancelled. But only until Wednesday at 10pm.
From then YOU MUST NOT SELL YOUR ALCOHOL. NOT EVEN TAKEAWAY.
From then YOU MUST NOT SELL YOUR ALCOHOL. NOT EVEN TAKEAWAY.
We will be having a good go at inferring one of the following from ‘that’ sentence.
•You can’t take it away, but we can deliver it
•You can’t take it away as part of a takeaway, but you may be able to purchase it as a separate transaction from our off-licence
•You can’t take it away, but we can deliver it
•You can’t take it away as part of a takeaway, but you may be able to purchase it as a separate transaction from our off-licence
•You may be able to order it online separately as part of our non-essential retail click and collect/ delivery service. We recommend collecting it, or receiving it via delivery, at the same time as your takeaway order
Although not giving pubs the opportunity to sell through their stock by selling growlers, etc, or just maintain a small income, is a fine way to kick an industry when it’s down. But we’re so used to it now. Of course this is what they’ve done. Of course it is.
If the sentence was tacked on with the intention of preventing the consumption of takeaway pints, and the potential congregation of people who have purchased them, then please, people that word these things, please reword it so it reflects that.
‘Alcohol cannot be purchased for immediate consumption’ ‘must be purchased in a closed container’… Even, if you want; ‘cannot be consumed outside of your household’.
Please reword it, rather than chucking on random, vague sentences here and there, before skipping onto the next task, blissfully unaware of (apathetic to?) the trail of destruction left behind…
