The week that preceded opening weekend saw a 30% drop in like-for-like sales compared with the previous year. Data from S4labour, the online labour-scheduling management system from Catton Hospitality, showed like-for-like sales of drink were down 21.3% and food 40%. The figures had little deviation when comparing sites that were inside and outside London. S4labour chief customer officer Sam Wignell said: “In these very early days of reopening, it’s clear social distancing is going to prevent food-led business from serving the same number of guests they previously would have, explaining some of the reasons why food sales have declined more severely than drinks.” S4labour chief product officer Richard Hartley added: “Huge efforts have been made to make eating and drinking out safe and this has inevitably had an effect on capacity. We are also seeing some people dip their toe back in the water with a drink out, perhaps holding off for a period before going out for a meal.”
S4labour is a Propel BeatTheVirus campaign member
